A quick note; circumstances (travel for the most part) have conspired to make it impossible for us to release We Have a Commentary, our Patreon supported bonus podcast before the end of the month. So it’ll come out on May 3rd, and hopefully folks won’t be too put out by the slight delay, and will hopefully be satisfied by the episode of Bombers featuring Johnny from HEALTH we’ll be releasing this upcoming weekend. We have a few more fun things in the pipe for the site and podcast, hopefully you’ll enjoy them as much as we think you will. But regular coverage will go on as normal, which means it’s time for Tracks!
Tinder Youth hookups
Glass Apple Bonzai, “I Am a Machine”
Holy shit dude. We’ve been fans and friends with Daniel Belasco for a lot of years now, and have watched the evolution of his Glass Apple Bonzai project with keen interest. From it’s initial synthwave adjacent synthpop sound, through the demonic electro-funk of the amazing In The Dark, through to the full new wave live act era of the project, Belasco’s propensity for songwriting and production have always remained the project’s watchwords. But even then we weren’t prepared for “I am a Machine”, a new single signalling a return to GAB working with Artoffact Records. And what a wild return it is, with a slow, moody bit of industrialized synthpop, heavy on atmosphere and really bringing out the strength of Daniel’s voice. A wonderful song and a terrific sign of new things to come.
Soft Vein, “Chekhov”
Speaking of unexpected singles from Artoffact, this new joint from Soft Vein is a stunner. We have enjoyed the project’s output thus far, finding the depressive post-punk sound tinged with hope for a better future compelling, especially after seeing it performed so passionately live last year. “Chekhov” though is something entirely new, a lush, beautifully produced (with assistance from Nuovo Testamento’s Andrea Mantione) slice of new wave perfection, filled with vocal harmonies, twinkling keys, and healthy dollop of tasteful saxophone. We didn’t see it coming, but god damn, if it didn’t grab us on first listen. Can’t wait to see this performed live at Terminus this summer!
Nootropic, “Re-Spawn”
The CRL Studios roster and various affiliates are reassembling under sad circumstances, with the new Chrysalis comp being assembled to raise funds for the family of James Ashley of Sinsect, who passed this February. Familiar names like Caustic, Virtual Terrorist, and Eva X are all pitching tracks in, as is Seattle’s Nootropic, whose shadowy bass-focused style often taps into a subtler vein of cyberpunk, as is the case on this track.
Torture Gallery, “Turning Hate”
The pitch and personnel of collaborative project Torture Gallery isn’t something we’d ever have predicted, but boy howdy does it ever have our attention. David Christian of Cervello Elettronico and the one and only Claus Larsen are teaming up to offer a full LP of harsh rhythmic electronics and vocals directly in line with Dirk Ivens work under the Dive name. David and Claus have been keeping the project on the back burner ever since 2018 (and shame on us for whiffing on its early days), but a full LP of compressed, bludgeoning kicks, noise, and screams in this vein (to be released on Hands, no less) is something we’re very hyped for.
CK 37, “Svett (S!GEB▲CK Redux)”
The ease with which CK 37 blended classic Swedish EBM sounds with a distinct, laid-back sense of fun that comes with their self-professed age made the Inget Hat LP a pleasant and refreshing listen at the beginning of the year, and a new remix EP adds another dimension to their presentation. Three tracks from the LP are taken up by Fredrik Sigeback from the recently disbanded My Love Kills, and that project’s melodic read on classic-electro industrial adds some melancholy shading to CK 37’s sound. Should likely appeal to fans of Dead When I Found Her.
Tinder Youth, “Mass Murder Appeal”
Not even sure why we hit play on this random Bandcamp find while searching the EBM tag, but not unhappy we did; this cut from Italian act Tinder Youth is a pretty gnarly bit of minimal dark disco. Despite being little more than a bassline, low growling vocals and some pretty busy percussion “Mass Murder Appeal” ends up being one of the more immediate tracks we’ve heard in a while, if for no other reason than its manic pace and the way that each new element ratchets the tension up further. A quick skim of the rest of the untitled EP has us intrigued, expect more coverage going forward.
