A quick note of apology for the shortened week; the Senior Staff were both travelling over the weekend and elected to bump Tracks to Monday for the sake of keeping our schedules workable. The world of music doesn’t stop though, and it was a pleasure to sit down at the keyboard and easily pull up the cuts for this post without much trouble at all. That wasn’t always the case in years past, but for at least the last 5 or 6 years of writing Tracks there’s been more than we can actually usually fit here on a weekly basis. A luxury problem in the world of Our Thing certainly, and we’re not mad about it.
X Marks The Pedwalk, “Light Your Mind”
The shifts made by the rebooted incarnation of legendary electro act X Marks The Pedwalk have been subtle over the past fifteen years, but 2023’s Superstition saw an uptick in the quotient of synthpop in Sevren and Estefania’s milieu. If this cut from the forthcoming Insomnia is representative of the LP, we’re in for even more uptempo and unabashedly melodic stuff from the duo. Weirdly, the sheer bubbly infectiousness of this cut bears just a trace of a connection to the project’s seminal integration of trance into electro and EBM in the mid 90s, with just a little hint of A Different Drum style US synthpop in the mix.
Devision Redux, “Synchronize (Radio mix)”
We had the pleasure of seeing Devision Redux at Terminus Festival this year, and were quite taken with the experience; a distinct incarnation of the venerable synthpop act featuring vocalist Steffen Keth and Daniel Myer, their material consists of reprogrammed and performed versions of classic De/Vision songs. The highlight of the set was definitely the version of “Synchronize”, and emotional futurepop throwback, whose new incarnation harnesses the power of the original in a new shell of sleek, tasteful electronics. We honestly can’t wait for more of these singles to make tape, Keth and Myer knocked this one out of the park.
Assemblage 23, “Tolerate”
Speaking of acts we caught at Terminus, Assemblage 23’s new album Null is now available for pre-order via Bandcamp, and we’ve got our first taste of the record in “Tolerate”. It’s a classic Tom Shear composition of the kind that we’ve always enjoyed but really grown to appreciate in recent years; the vocals, production and songwriting are all carefully arranged in relation to one another, and lyrics that capture and communicate the song’s themes in evocative fashion. Tom Shear is one the great craftsman of the synthpop/EBM/melodic electro sound, and it’s always a pleasure to get new material from him.
Empusae feat Lamia Vox and Deutsch Nepal, “To The Earth”
Whole lot of cooks in the kitchen on this forthcoming collaborative record, with Nicolas Van Meirhaeghe of Empusae being joined by a pair of dark ambient’s most wanted: Lamia Vox (MIA since 2020’s very strong Alles Ist Ufer. Ewig Ruft Das Meer) and perennial bad boy Deutsch Nepal (also making up for lost time with a live record and some lounge interpretations on deck). That sounds very busy for a record which began as a sleep aid but while this track likely won’t be of assistance in that regard, there’s a real focus to both the vocals and the pensive arrangement.
All Systems Out, “Remember Us”
Sweden’s All Systems Out deliver all the elements you’d want from an EBM act from that country: forthright stomping and gutteral vocals, tempered with just enough polish, programming, and melody to raise their work above the lowest common denominators of the genre. That’s exactly the remit of this brisk and unpretentious new number, which has an excellent balance of swing, bounce, and kick which Mika’s vocals roam across.
Die Sexual, “Desire (Hexmaschine Remix)”
As has now become tradition, Los Angeles electro-darkwave kinksters Die Sexual have followed up their recent “Desire” single/EP with a remix release, featuring this fun version by Hexmaschine. That act’s take on DS’ “Need to Sin” has been a DJ staple for us for a year or so, and this take takes an interesting step of bringing in both classic post-punk bass and some squelchy acid for a quite unique version of the cut. Consistent and prolific don’t always go together, but Die Sexual has been doing well in both streams via the strength of material and the careful curation of their collaborators.
