Hey pals, we’re back! Thanks for sticking with us through some post-Terminus hiatus action, we needed a couple of days to rest and recoup before jumping back into the regular posting schedule, this short week notwithstanding. And hey, the upside of all of this is that we’re unusually amped to dig in on some new releases, the after-effects of seeing a ton of great music (as outlined on last week’s podcast in excruciating detail). That’s a good lead-in to this stacked edition of Tracks!
Bestial Mouths doing the Bestial Mouths thing
Boy Harsher, “Hard Beat”
We’ve been following Boy Harsher since around the release of the first EP, and seeing them become such an enormous phenomenon with legions of fans and scads of imitators has been something of a trip. With that said, it was obvious that the duo couldn’t (and more importantly, wouldn’t) just rehash their most popular sounds and songs on their next LP, which is where “Hard Beat” comes in. Yeah, you can def hear classic BH in it, but you’re also getting a healthy dose of their interest in electropop and some more smooth and even housey vibes that differentiate it. We’ll certainly be discussing Get Mean when it drops in September, stay tuned.
Bestial Mouths, “Conjure”
Bestial Mouths have not-so-quietly become of the true stalwarts of modern darkwave, avoiding many of the broader trends and following their own gnarly, uncomfortable and often very fraught muse. The forthcoming album Dead Lines is produced entirely by band member Brant Showers, and you can definitely hear aspects of his sound design from AAIMON and SØLVE in “Conjure”, but it’s entirely in service of project mastermind Lynette Cerezo’s powerful, terrifying voice and presence. Stunning cut, and no doubt a precursor for more ill winds yet to come.
Purest Form, “Animal”
LA trio Purest Form look to be shooting for the moon with their forthcoming EP on Dais. Lead single “Animal” is a bracing mix of super-processed metal chug and 90s electronica at large, a formula that’ll be catnip to rivets of a certain generation still pining after quality KMFDM releases, but will likely offer fresh contrasts and new avenues for younger kids still finding their bearings in emergent apocalypses.
Ratio Strain, “Exorcism (Iszoloscope remix)”
Hot on the heels of her excellent performance at Terminus, we have a new single from San Diego’s Ratio Strain. The lineup of remixers taking on the track “Exorcism” reflects a lot of Ratio Strain’s specific take on modern instrumental industrial and rhythmic noise, emphasizing dancefloor appeal and big textures in equal measure. Hence why you get some acid chaos from Hex Wolves, bass leaning sound design from Zer0signal, and a hot dose of inhuman ambience from Iszoloscope, the grandmaster of that particular sound.
The Axiom Divide, “The Halls Of Amenti”
The Axiom Divide is a brand-spanking new project, but look beneath the surface (as in the throwback cyber-mapping of Egyptian mysteries on the album art) and things might be a bit more familiar. Threads of frontman Jay Tye’s work in long-tenued COP act Soil & Eclipse can definitely be teased out in this melodic and ethereal blend of futurepop, synthpop, and Euro styled electro at large.
Anaxia, “Laser Star”
A new side project from Rich Oddie of Canadian legends Orphx and Alex Pi, the taster cuts from Anaxia’s first EP speak to a controlled mastery of mood and mode. Finding commonalities between EBM, synthpunk, and post-punk and boiling their rhythmic elements down to the core, the pair flesh that skeleton out with anxious pads and squalls, taking the core elements of minimal wave to paradoxically smothering excess.
