What an unexpectedly busy week hear in Tracks land. While we generally don’t struggle too much to find music for these posts these days, what with the advent of things like Bandcamp Friday, this week yielded a particularly heady crop of new music from across the spectrum of music we cover here at ID:UD. One more sign that things remain healthy and hearty hear in Our Thing, even as we enter our 15th year writing about and podcasting about it. On to the music!
Diavol Strâin
Jae Matthews and Buzz Kull, “Man on the Beat (Spike Hellis remix)”
Okay buckle up folks, this is a lot to figure out; Jae Matthews of Boy Harsher covered Buzz Kull’s “Man on the Beat” for a 12″ via Wes Eisold’s Heartworm Press. That’s pretty cool, the song is thematically very much in Matthews’ lane lyrically and moodwise, which is why the b-side embedded below is even more wild, reintegrating the original vocal with Jae’s, and the whole thing remixed by the ever fantastic Los Angeles mutants Spike Hellis for good measure. Got all that? Don’t worry if not, just hit play and then be ready to hit it again when it’s over, this is a burner.
Kurs, “Weapon”
Italy’s Kurs have become a sleeper favourite around ID:UD HQ over the last five years. Their two LPs to date have shown a deep appreciation for the craft and history of dark electro and electro-industrial, with densely layered and atmospheric compositions which stealthily work their way into your bloodstream. This first taster from an as of yet unnamed third record works as a representative jumping on point, seething with boiler room mechanics and menace.
Diavol Strâin, “11 Ecos”
Lonstanding Chilean true-schoolers Diavol Strâin’s new single is a masterclass in darkwave pacing and mood. Strident from the get go, it slow plays the increasingly dense arrangement Ginger Blue and Lau M build up (with some mixing assistance from none other than William Faith, who knows a thing or two about this style), eventually arriving at a bracing, disorienting cataclysm of jangle, clatter, and mist. A full LP in this ornate, hypnotic style would be very welcome.
Ancient Methods, “Image Is My Commodity”
Dark techno might not be the sort of medium you’d expect to be well-suited to address Guy Debord’s famed The Society Of The Spectacle, but perhaps there’s something in the wholly embodied yet half-anonymized space which is the darkened rave floor which stands in opposition to the atomized conspicuous consumption which capitalism demands of us all. Wait, where were we? Oh yeah, tracks like this one from the forthcoming Ancient Methods album named after Debord’s work kick hard.
Menthüll, “Beautiful Creatures”
Our favourite Quebecois synthpop act Menthüll is back with a new EP, Backup Plan, and it’s continuing in the direction of their most recent singles. Exploring an almost Ladytron-esque take on electronic pop with some touches of post-punk, opener “Beautiful Creatures” is exactly what drew us to the duo when they first got onto our radar a few years back; it’s minimal, but lush, emphasizes melody, but is coy in how it presents itself, and generally manages to be tasteful without succumbing to blandness. Great stuff as always.
SARIN, “Corruption on Earth”
X-IMG boss and techno-industrial elite producer SARIN hasn’t slowed down one bit since the release of his excellent 2025 LP SEARCHING HELL. In fact, the Berlin by way of Toronto artist has released two songs in support of the Hengaw Human Rights non-profit which is providing assistance to those impacted by the ongoing conflict in Iran. “Corruption on Earth” is about as textbook as you’ll get from SARIN, and that’s a good thing – hard beats, vocal samples and compulsively danceable music with a jagged edge you could get tetanus from.
