News – Page 24 – 7th Level Music

Aesthetic Perfection release live version of “S E X” from 2023 Wembley Arena concert.

Daniel Graves, the Austrian-American industrial pop trailblazer, returned with his most ambitious project yet: the Bad Vibes EP (released October 11, 2024) This 3-song sensory assault delivers a disorienting punch of 90s nostalgia, where dial-up modems hum alongside samples of televangelists and infomercial hosts, all set against a backdrop of blistering guitars, guttural screams, and relentless mechanical rhythms. Anchored by Graves’ signature melodies and sharp pop sensibilities, the Bad Vibes EP is both a reflection on American culture during the Satanic Panic and a commentary on our present moment.

Wearing its influences proudly, the Bad Vibes EP evokes the raw energy of The Downward Spiral-era Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson’s Portrait of an American Family while remaining undeniably Aesthetic Perfection. Mixed by the legendary Sean Beavan (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Guns N’ Roses) and featuring the searing guitars of Sebastian Svalland (PAIN, Lindemann, Letters from the Colony) with live drums by Mike Schopf (Cil City), this EP bridges the gap between past and future with unparalleled intensity.

Aesthetic Perfection recently wrapped up their Fall Goth Tour 2024 which had them headlining many special shows plus major arena performances supporting Rammstein’s Till Lindemann with special guests Twin Temple.

Aesthetic Perfection celebrated the kick off of the Fall Goth Tour by dropping “Into The Void“, the first single from the Bad Vibes EP which premiered at Revolver on September 13th.

Revolver writes “Sonically, it leans into a Nineties-era, retro-futuristic slam of crunch-dustrial guitar chordage, mechanically-manned marching rhythms, and mega-screams from bandleader Daniel Graves. Visually, the accompanying music video presents the creepiest aerobics routine imaginable. A flashy sweatsuit-sporting Graves saunters into the scene with a beer in hand, but he puts the bottle down to work those carbs off via a limbs-pumping, grin-widening exercise routine. As this goes on, we hear a bunch of found-footage samples about demonic possession.”

On October 4, 2024, Aesthetic Perfection premiered the industrial pop single “Self Inflicted” at Outburn. Daniel Graves says “Over the course of my life, I’ve come to realize that my own greatest enemy is… well… me. ‘Self Inflicted’ explores all the unhealthy coping mechanisms we develop to navigate life’s challenges. While we can’t control what happens to us, we can choose how we respond.”

The third single and title track “Bad Vibes” was released on October 11, along with the full EP, and the video, chock full of live and backstage footage from the Fall 2024 tour with Till Lindemann and Twin Temple, premiered at Metal Injection, who writes “If you’re looking for a solid, electronic-heavy banger with a retro-styled music video, you’re gonna love this.”

Aesthetic Perfection – S E X (Live at Wembley 2023)

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Sharon Van Etten and The Attachment Theory release “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)” from upcoming album due February 07, 2025.

“Sharon Van Etten is going all-in with her band, the Attachment Theory” (Rolling Stone). Set to release their self-titled debut album on February 7th via Jagjaguwar, Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory now unveil new single/video “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like),” following the “gothically romantic” (Pitchfork) lead single, “Afterlife.” In conjunction, they also announce a 2025 North American Tour, on sale Friday, December 13th at 10am local time. More information at sharonvanetten.com/tour.

In Van Etten’s words “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)” is about “trying to understand people with very different perspectives and backgrounds, while also trying to be compassionate towards our past, present, and future selves.” One of the first two songs written with the band in the desert at Gatos Trail in the Yucca Valley, the song materialized off the cuff following a rehearsal for the We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong tour. “After days of rehearsing the songs from the album and how to execute them live, I was getting tired of hearing myself. I didn’t want to over rehearse the songs to death. And so, for the first time ever, I asked if the band just wanted to ‘jam,’ play without it having to be something, to clear our heads,” Van Etten explains.

The video for “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)” was shot, directed, and edited by Ethan Dawes, and features 35mm footage from the band’s recent surprise performance at the iconic Los Angeles concert venue The Viper Room.

Watch the Video for “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)”

Recorded with producer Marta Salogni at London’s The Church, Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory presents an exhilarating new dimension of Van Etten’s sound and songwriting. For the first time, it was written and recorded in total collaboration with her band — Jorge Balbi (drums, machines), Devra Hoff (bass, vocals), and Teeny Lieberson (synth, piano, guitar, vocals) — “[pushing] Van Etten to go louder, rawer, and altogether more evocative at every turn” (Vulture) and allowing her the freedom that comes from letting go. With Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory, Van Etten deepens the discourse that animates so much of her timeless catalog, exploring what it is to be simply human. This is her genius – oblique, but also relevant and personal.

Pre-order Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory

Watch the Video for “Afterlife”

Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory Tour Dates
(New Dates in Bold)
Sat. Feb. 1 – Westerly, RI @ The United #
Mon. Feb. 3 – Woodstock, NY @ Bearsville Theater #
Tue. Feb. 4 – Asbury Park, NJ @ The Stone Pony – First Home State Headline Show #
Fri. Feb. 28 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller *
Sat. Mar. 1 – Stockholm, SE @ Fållan *
Sun. Mar. 2 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega *
Tue. Mar. 4 – Berlin, DE @ Astra Kulturhaus *
Thu. Mar. 6 – Paris, FR @ Le Trianon *
Fri. Mar. 7 – Antwerp, BE @ De Roma *
Sat. Mar. 8 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso *
Mon. Mar. 10 – London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall *
Tue. Mar. 11 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall *’Wed. Mar. 12 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland Ballroom *
Thu. Apr. 24 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern ^
Fri. Apr. 25 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl ^
Sat. Apr. 26 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel ^
Mon. Apr. 28 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club ^
Wed. Apr. 30 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer ^
Thu. May 1 – Boston, MA @ Roadrunner ^
Fri. May 2 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel ^
Mon. May 5 – Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall ^
Tue. May 6 – Toronto, ON @ History ^
Thu. May 8 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee ^
Fri. May 9 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed ^
Sat. May 10 – St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre ^
Mon. May 12 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre ^
Tue. May 13 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall ^
Thu. May 15 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile ^
Fri. May 16 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile ^
Sat. May 17 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre ^
Sun. May 18 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall ^
Wed. May 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern ^

# with She Keeps Bees
* with special guest Nabihah Iqbal
^ with Love Spells

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Drop Nineteens share “Shannon Waves” from their long-awaited official release of “1991.”

LISTEN TO DROP NINETEEN’S “SHANNON WAVES”

PREORDER DROP NINETEEN’S 1991 HERE

From 1993 to 2023 Drop Nineteens were silent, but in the last year the legendary shoegaze band have returned to the spotlight. Last November, the band released their first album in 30 years, the critically-acclaimed Hard Light and in 2023 the band embarked on their first tour dates since the early 90s while reissuing their 1992 shoegaze masterwork Delaware via Wharf Cat Records.

On February 7th of 2025, the band will officially release their long-revered precursor to Delaware, an album called 1991. The LP comprises the band’s first two demo sessions which were mailed out via cassette to labels in 1991 finding their way to the UK music press and generating instant buzz and an ensuing feeding frenzy to sign the band. After signing with Caroline Records Drop Nineteens decided to write an entirely new record, Delaware, for their first official release, leaving the songs on 1991 behind, frozen in time.

Long known as Mayfield (1991) and traded as a bootleg among shoegaze fans who regard it as a classic in its own right, the re-named, remixed and remastered 1991 will be released on vinyl, CD, and streaming services. In October, the band shared a track from the record entitled “Daymom,” and today they are sharing a second preview, the hypnotic “Shannon Waves.”

LISTEN TO DROP NINETEEN’S “SHANNON WAVES”

Swells of layered guitars and buried vocal harmonies adorn these tracks, displaying Drop Nineteens when the comparison to their UK contemporaries like Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine were apt. 1991’s songs, recorded with a low fi charm, show an ambitious young band capable of writing songs filled with texture and hooks, on the eve of their breakthrough with Delaware.

Of the release, Drop Nineteens leader Greg Ackell says: These songs were written and recorded in 1991 on an 8-track reel to reel largely in our dorm rooms. We called them demos at the time, but now they’re just unreleased Drop Nineteens songs that never benefited from the fidelity of a recording studio. We remastered them, some 33 years later for this release, but they still evoke our infancy as a band.

After signing to Caroline Records, I suggested to the band we not re-record any of the demos for our debut. It was nothing against the songs. But we were overly confident the way 19-20 year olds typically are, and wanted to challenge ourselves with writing an album from scratch in a short period of time, largely in the studio. That became Delaware.

Today, the band are also sharing a video for their beloved Delaware album cut “Kick The Tragedy” that features fan submitted footage. The video can be seen HERE.

PREORDER DROP NINETEEN’S 1991 HERE

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Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol announce winter and west coast U.S. tours.

Austin trio Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol today announce yet ANOTHER tour today, this time adding Western US headlining shows following their January & February East Coast tour with Lip Critic supporting.

RBBP is currently on tour with King Buffalo in the Southwest. Complete EU & UK tour dates for Spring 2025 will also be announced soon. See current dates below.

All March tickets Artist pre-sale on December 11th at 10am local time HERE. (password: bigdumbtour)

March tickets general on sale December 13th at 10am local time.

BIG DUMB RIFFS is available on digital, LP and cassette, released May 10th, 2024. Order/stream the album on all formats HERE.

RICKSHAW BILLIE’S BURGER PATROL – LIVE 2024:

12/10 Tucson, AZ – 191 Toole *

12/11 Las Vegas, NV – Swan Dive *

12/12 San Diego, CA – The Casbah *

12/13 Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room *

12/14 Pioneertown, CA – Pappy & Harriet’s *

12/17 Fort Worth, TX – Tulips *

12/18 Oklahoma City, OK – Resonant Head *

12/19 Kansas City, MO – recordBar *

12/20 St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway *

* w/ King Buffalo

RICKSHAW BILLIE’S BURGER PATROL – LIVE 2025:

01/17 Austin, TX – Antone’s

01/24 Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall

01/25 San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger

01/30 Nashville, TN – DRKMTTR +

01/31 Atlanta, GA – The Earl +

02/01 Charlotte, NC – Snug Harbor +

02/02 Washington, DC – DC9 +

02/04 Millersville, PA – Phantom Power +

02/05 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge +

02/06 Brooklyn, NY – TV Eye +

02/07 Medford, MA – Deep Cuts +

02/08 Montreal, QC – La Sotterenea +

02/11 Toronto, ON – Monarch Tavern +

02/12 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Tavern +

02/13 Hamtramck, MI – Small’s +

02/14 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle +

02/15 Milwaukee, WI – Cactus Club +

02/16 Minneapolis, MN – Zhora Darling +

03/19 Phoenix, AZ – Linger Longer Lounge

03/20 San Diego, CA – Whistle Stop

03/21 Los Angeles, CA – Zebulon

03/22 Oakland, CA – Thee Stork Club

03/24 Portland, OR – Show Bar

03/25 Seattle, WA – Barboza

03/27 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge

03/28 Fort Collins, CO – The Coast

03/29 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theatre

03/30 Colorado Springs, CO – Vultures

05/15 Brussels, BE – Obsidian Dust Festival

05/18 London, UK – DesertFest London

05/23 Berlin, DE – DesertFest Berlin

+ w/ Lip Critic

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[Thanks to Dave at US / THEM Group.]

A.M. Architect release new track, “Avenir,” with guest vocalist Delenda.

For A.M. Architect, everything is interactive. A concert by the electronic duo isn’t just a concert. It’s a multimedia installation, a visual show, an interactive technology demonstration, and more.

At a typical show, the duo, consisting of longtime friends and collaborators Diego Chavez and Daniel Stanush, perform while generative visuals react to the audio they’re creating. “We use a program called TouchDesigner, so it’s all in real time,” says Chavez, whose myriad roles include digital media artist, technologist, and producer. “We love not being the performer; not being the cool guys on stage who have this distant presence. Usually, shows are so serious. It’s just fun to see people at play.”

That technological curiosity, that bold desire to merge disciplines, animates A.M. Architect’s third and finest full-length album, Avenir, announced today for a February 7th, 2025 release date.

The album showcases the duo’s multifaceted approach to electronic production, with Stanush’s musical training and melodic sensibility guiding Chavez’s knack for soundscapes and sonic manipulation. The result is a rich tapestry of pulsating beats, grainy loops, cinematic sensibilities, and charged vocal samples that cull from sources as varied as old crime movies and obscure country singers.

Today, the duo share their title-track “Avenir,” accompanied by a music video. The track paints a lush electronic beat backdrop of exploration, with notable vocals from guest Delenda. Pre-order the upcoming album here, and check it out the video for the title track on YouTube.

On the track, Daniel Stanush shares:

“In creating the music video for Avenir, we were inspired by the lyrics written by our collaborator Delenda. We were interested in the relationships between different versions of ourselves: the person you used to be, as seen through your current self, or vice versa. Like when you remember the promises you made yourself when you were a kid, or the things you regret and wish you could erase, and then as you grow you have to reconcile your old and new self, and the past/present relationship that creates.

Graphically, we wanted to present a dissonance between our self-perspectives, and allow them to evolve and blend together, constantly growing and fracturing, feeding back and diffusing based on a responsive video network, so we shot some video with Delenda, the song’s vocalist, and then created an interactive network in Touch Designer that would respond to video inputs as well as allow us to control how the network would respond. We’re really looking forward to bringing this same setup to live events and allowing audiences to interact with the Avenir in fun ways.”

The two worked on the album remotely for about four years, trading files back and forth between Sacramento (where Stanush lives) and San Antonio (Chavez’s home base). Stanush developed melodic ideas on guitar, bass, and Rhodes piano, while Chavez manipulated the tracks in Ableton and incorporated a range of innovative techniques, including machine learning and live-coding with the help of a portable, open-source sound computer called Monome Norns.

Above all, Chavez and Stanush sought to create music that would feel untethered to any particular time period; music that, like their influences, feels timeless and unmoored.

Chavez and Stanush tend to refer to A.M. Architect as a “multimedia collaboration” rather than a traditional band. The two have been close collaborators since around 2004, when they met while playing in rock bands in San Antonio together. Realizing they shared a love of electronic music (everything from German cult artist Arovane to the early work of Caribou, then billed as Manitoba) and a deep interest in the intersection of art and technology, the two began a side project, which morphed into A.M. Architect.

In 2009, they released their first album, The Road to the Sun, a nimble, beat-driven collection pairing Stanush’s melodic instincts with Chavez’s drum programming. Stanush had studied music theory and knew his way around a guitar or bass, while Chavez came from a hip-hop background and knew how to treat his bandmate’s instruments as samples, with a DJ Shadow-like apt for manipulating rhythms

That division of labor remained largely constant through the project’s subsequent albums—2017’s Color Field, 2019’s Chroma Variants—as their stylistic ambitions grew and the group moved away from live instrumentation in favor of ambient production. With an increased emphasis on vocal samples, Avenir (a French word meaning “the future, or a time to come”) brings A.M. Architect into a new phase of their career, veering towards ambient electronica instead of instrumental hip-hop and instilling their chilly soundscapes with an unmistakable warmth.

Stanush developed melodic ideas on guitar, bass, and Rhodes piano, while Chavez manipulated the tracks in Ableton and incorporated a range of innovative techniques, including machine learning and live-coding with the help of a portable, open-source sound computer called Monome Norns.

Because it was written in the throes of the pandemic, the material felt heavier than usual, with both musicians reflecting on death, mortality, and memories. Such themes were front of mind during the early years of the pandemic, when the duo began experimenting with audiovisual installations. At a warehouse in Sacramento, they led a major installation, using cameras to track people’s motions through the space, which then triggered different lines of melody and visual art on the walls. “We want to be able to bring that kind of experience to more of our projects,” Stanush notes.

Such experiments proved formative to the inventive, free-form spirit of Avenir. As Chavez reflects, “It changed our idea of how songs don’t have to be linear. As long as you’re in it, you can make the song move around. We like to play with time differently.” And true to its forward-thinking title, Avenir brings the future to your headphones even as it summons poignant reflections on the past.

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Howard “Keep Running” with their new single.

Howard delivers rock infused with Hammond organ, fuzz, and electronic elements that have travelled through the decades. Inspired by legends like Deep Purple and The Doors, they reinvent the genre with a modern energy. Following their self-produced debut EP HOWARD I in 2018, the band hit the road, sharing stages with acts such as Ayron Jones, Yarol Poupaud, Last Train, Ko Ko Mo, Mars Red Sky, The Psychotic Monks, Slift, and Dätcha Mandala. Their first album, Obstacle, was released in 2020, right on the eve of the first lockdown. Despite their tour being postponed, the album received positive coverage in specialized press in France. Refusing to be discouraged, Howard released their second album, Event Horizon, in 2022, followed by a 50-date tour over two years, including a sold-out release party in Paris (FR) with +300 people.

On stage, the band reaches a whole new level, captivating audiences with a dynamic and intricate show. Howard has established itself as one of the most promising emerging bands in today’s french rock scene. By the end of 2024, the trio continues their rise, signing with RAGE TOUR and planning to release a new album on March 28th 2025.

After DON’T MAKE ME GO BACK, Howard continues with second single KEEP RUNNING, a track that once again raises urgent themes. Supported by a one-shot music video featuring an individual pushing his limits behind a fake smile, the song is also about mental health. Maintaining appearances and ignore inner struggles by withdrawing and deceiving oneself ? Unfortunately, many can relate to this scenario. KEEP RUNNING explores three key emotions — depression, euphoria, and breakdown. In just three minutes, the track takes listeners on a journey from coldwave landscapes to wild arpeggios that explode into an intense rock finale, showcasing Howard’s newfound intensity. KEEP RUNNING embodies the aesthetic of their upcoming album OSCILLATIONS, set for release on March 28, 2025.

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Hepcat’s classic “Scientific” album gets a dub remix by, go figure, Scientist.

Watch Lost Music Video “Bobby and Joe”- Watch / Share

Today Trust Records is honored to release Scientist Meets Hepcat: Scientific Dub Special and the deluxe reissue of Scientific of which the collaboration and remixes were derived from. This special reissue package is available in stores now and across all digital platforms. It’s the first time Scientific has been available on vinyl in years. All audio was remastered from the original analog tapes by Pete Lyman. The limited vinyl version of Scientist Meets Hepcat: Scientific Dub Special sold out in just an hour.

Hepcat was formed in 1989 by the late vocalist Greg Lee and keyboardist Deston Berry. Their soulful harmonies and mellow rhythms were unlike those of contemporaries and more akin to musicians from the heyday of 1960s Jamaican ska. Mixed with elements of soul, jazz and R&B, their singular sound quickly cemented them as staples in Los Angeles’ burgeoning ska scene in the early 90’s.

Following the release of their critically acclaimed debut Out of Nowhere on legendary label Moon Ska Records, Hepcat released their signature sophomore effort in 1996, Scientific. “It’s the album in which we all got together and figured sh*t out, tweaking controls and dialing in the perfect vibe, like a chemistry set—hence the name. We spent so much time and energy on that album. Labor of love, worth every moment,” Hepcat tell.

Fast forward to 2021, archival label Trust Records purchased controlling interest of the BYO catalog, including Hepcat’s Scientific. While in discussions with late founding member and lead vocalist Greg Lee on how he would like to see the album re-released, he let it be known that his dream of all dreams was to have legendary dub producer Scientist create a dub version of the album.

Hopeton Brown, known as Scientist, is the legendary electronic and studio engineer, considered to be one the forefathers of Dub Music. He developed his skills in the late 70’s and 80’s at the legendary King Tubby Studios with the revolutionary use of reverb, delay, and other effects to transform traditional reggae tracks into groundbreaking dubs. To date, Scientist has over 50,000 song credits, and he is still creating today.

“Greg Lee believed it would be cool if Scientist would dub ‘Scientific’. He liked the play on names and the historic implications. Like a true fan, Greg sought out information from various sources and finally was introduced to Scientist by Brian Wallace aka: Dub Robot at the legendary Dub Club in Los Angeles. Greg worked his magic and Scientist agreed to create dub’s of ‘Scientific’. The rest is now history,” Hepcat explain.

Those final dub mixes of Scientific were approved by Greg Lee and the band in January of 2024, just before Greg tragically died two months later of a brain aneurysm.

“Greg Lee is Hepcat personified. One of the strongest and greatest songwriters of Hepcat’s history. A mastermind. A positive source of inspiration. A leader. An eternal flame. The member who kept it fun and enjoyable, while being strong, and powerful at the same time,” Hepcat commemorates.

Hepcat’s Alex Desert Sits Down w/ Scientist In Trust Records’ One Two Me You Interview Series – Watch / Share

Scientist Curates Essential Dub Tracks Playlist in Celebration of Hepcat Collaboration – Listen / Share

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Skeleten releases new single, “Bodys Chorus,” ahead of upcoming album due February 07, 2025.

Today, Sydney-based artist Skeleten (aka Russell Fitzgibbon) unveils new single “Bodys Chorus”, ahead of his forthcoming second album release, Mentalized, arriving in full on February 7, 2025 via 2MR / Astral People Recordings.

“Bodys Chorus” pulls you in with hypnotic synth-bell chimes, and pushes you back with staccato overdrive guitar stabs, as if shaking you out of a daydream. Turntablist scratching is layered within the sonic texture of both the song and the album to come, an homage to nu-metal and trip hop’s humanistic approach to electronic music. It’s an attention to detail that Skeleten relishes in, and which rewards deep listens.

Listen / Share / Playlist “Bodys Chorus”

Mentalized exists in a rich sonic universe defined by hypnotic yet emotive songwriting, and organic production that draws from a vast blend of influences. Where Skeleten’s lauded debut album Under Utopia celebrated a world of hope and beauty pushed upwards by us all, his second record will posit that this push comes with a struggle. It is less about the fantastical, and more about asking how we are mentalized, and taken away from ourselves everyday. To play in this world doesn’t come without working for it, and that struggle is best when shared.

“Bodys Chorus” joins his recent singles “Deep Scene”, “Love Enemy”, and “Viagra”, alongside respective remixes by Axel Boman and Spray, in laying the foundations for Mentalized. The releases earned nods from Stereogum, PAPER, Brooklyn Vegan, Paste, KEXP, KCRW and more.

In 2023, Skeleten emerged with his critically adored, ARIA-charting album, Under Utopia. Described by The FADER as “perfect for the fans of the minds-eye psychedelia of Caribou and DJ Koze”, the record was nominated for the Australian Music Prize (2023), AIR Awards Best Independent Dance or Electronica Albumor EP (2024) and FBi Radio’s SMAC Award for Album of the Year (2023), named at #20 in NME AU’s Top 25 Albums of 2023, and #27 in Double J’s 50 Best Albums of 2023, and saw remixes from the likes of Logic1000 and Jennifer Loveless. Having performed with The Streets, Tirzah, SBTRKT, DJ Seinfeld, Hot Chip and Glass Beams, he has also since been booked for major Australian festivals Dark Mofo, VIVID LIVE, Splendour In The Grass, and sold a number of headlines including the Sydney Opera House.

Ahead of a special appearance at Golden Plains festival in 2025, Skeleten is curating a regular live series at Newtown’s Pleasure Club. Recently debuting this month alongside Hugh B and the Modern Pop Ensemble and Killian, the residency’s intention will be spotlighting local talent across the city’s different scenes, alongside Skeleten and his full live band. Skeleten is on track to make his North American debut next year – for updates and more, go here.

Pre-Order / Pre-Save / Playlist Mentalized

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Liquid Bear release title track from upcoming album, “Second Life.”

Confronting their respective influences and breaking down musical genre boundaries, french prog’ band Liquid Bear, explores themes such as addiction, the search for meaning, and the passage of time. The quartet delivers a raw yet enchanting rock sound, featuring bold compositions enhanced by remarkable instrumental mastery. With a discography that mixes grunge, stoner rock, progressive, and psychedelic rock, the four musicians offer an experience that is both visceral and cerebral. Liquid Bear released their first EP, Unwind, at the end of 2018, followed by their second, Heavy Grounds, in March 2021. Alongside their music, the band has developed an increasingly sophisticated visual identity, exemplified by the animated video for Billions of Crabs, and Closer to an End.

Liquid Bear’s debut album, Second Life, will be released on February 7, 2025, as an independent production, with the title track dropping today, accompanied by a lyrics video : https://youtu.be/LVsLG1x2ZTQ.

Second Life, the first single and title track of their upcoming album, showcases their unique vision of rock that is both original and modern. This introspective track delves into retracing one’s choices and imagining what could have been different if another path had been taken. With its stormy riff combining a fretless guitar and Hammond organ, Second Life captivates the listener. The powerful track is paired with a psychedelic visual journey through a being in a state of constant reconstruction, where every particle dances and resonates with the music.

“Second Life” explores various aspects of the construction of our individuality and the influences of our social environment. After two EPs and two singles in which the quartet sculpted their modern Progressive Rock sound, this album stands as the cornerstone of what defines Liquid Bear’s signature sound.

The album emphasizes experimentation and sonic renewal, particularly through the unique approach of the fretless guitar. It features the band’s signature elements: Hammond organ, vocal harmonies, compelling riffs, and guitar solos, enhanced by the addition of drum machines and analog synthesizers.

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Bonnie Trash announce first full-length album, “Mourning You,” and offer its first single – “Veil of Greed.”

Today Guelph, Ontario hell-raisers Bonnie Trash announce details of their new album, ‘Mourning You’, which is set for release on February 28th on Hand Drawn Dracula. Along with the announcement they have shared the first single and video from the album, entitled “Veil of Greed”.

‘Mourning You’ is, put bluntly, an album about death. Not death in the macabre, violent, or outrageous sense, but death as you or I might know it. A spectre lurking around the corner. Capricious, indiscriminate, and unexpected. Ordinary and all the more terrifying for it. Real. Fear in the eyes of a loved one about to die, and the fear in your eyes – staring back.

Bonnie Trash is the horrorgaze project of twin sisters Emmalia & Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor, wedding post-punk’s steely-eyed austerity to goth rock’s brooding grandeur.

‘Mourning You’ finds Bonnie Trash embracing a newfound sense of urgency. A lifelong project christened in 2017 with the release of ‘Ezzelini’s Dead’, the band’s debut EP which found the pair mining the Trevisan dialect and archaic Italian folklore of their heritage to grisly effect. Where their first full length, ‘Malocchio’ (2022), shrouded Bonnie Trash’s nightmares in dusky dreamlike reverb, ‘Mourning You’ is vivid and immediate. Emboldened by the addition of Emma Howarth-Withers on bass and Dana Bellamy on drums – whose thunderous rhythms sharpened 2024’s ‘My Love Remains the Same’ EP into a fine-edged blade – ‘Mourning You’ is less a post-mortem fantasia than a sudden, swift dagger to the heart. This is sorrow not as a lingering bruise, but a gushing wound.

Bonnie Trash unveil their new project with this first single “Veil of Greed”. Emmalia’s gripping and unyielding guitar riff with all the icy malice of Nine Inch Nails’ Pretty Hate Machine introduces the urgency of the uncomfortably ordinary horror story that unfurls across the record. The song’s gruesome imagery – feasting on hearts with rotten teeth – finds Sarafina worshipping at the altar of her agony. “I bow down before you and I know / You feed.”

“When you lose the one you love so dearly, it’s a cut that’s so deep, it rips your heart out of your chest. You try to continue on, but you suffer and you bleed” the twins comment. “Grief is like an open wound that will never fully heal. It can consume you if you let it. Sometimes, it’s best to let it feed, allowing the pain to exist with the beautiful memories you hold close to your heart.”

“Veil of Greed” video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQzTivht8mE
‘Mourning You’ album pre-order/pre-save links: https://ffm.to/mourningyou

Sarafina, the band’s singer and lyricist, has described the album as being about “losing someone you love. It’s about the horrors of grief, haunting you every day.” Inspired, largely, by the passing of Nonna Maria – who provided interstitial narration across the band’s early work – it’s these intimate details which render the songs on ‘Mourning You’ so devastating. The record explores love and grief as kindred spirits. Grief as love with nowhere to go. Love determined by the fear of its loss. A blood pact. A life for a life. The gnarled claw of remorse gripping you in twilight’s terror.

Though inspired by the shocking iconography of horrorshows, slasher flicks, and psychological thrillers, Bonnie Trash turns cinematic tropes on their head. Rather than fashioning nightmares into reality, the band paints reality as a nightmare, rife with pain, suffering, and gothic theatre. Bonnie Trash understands that everyday atrocities haunt the periphery of our lives. A black cloud looming on the edge of our vision. Curses abound. You can’t ward them off. You’d best make an unholy racket.

‘Mourning You’ is out February 28, 2025 on Hand Drawn Dracula. In mourning, all is lost.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Kate at Stereo Sanctity.]