Electro – Page 35 – 7th Level Music

Review: Mandy, Indiana – “… EP”

Hailing from Manchester and not Indiana, Mandy, Indiana, formerly known as Gary Indiana, make post-punk that bends and warps the genre on their …EP. As guitarist Scott Fair put it, “We’ve scrapped anything that sounded too normal.”

Opening track “Bottle Episode” starts off with Liam Stewart‘s snare drum rolls that sound like a swarm of angry bees attacking a hulking robot and then it switches to thumping synth bass and horror movie sounds, all with Valentine Caulfield singing in her native French. The percussion on “Nike of Samothrace” sounds like a drunk guy stumbling down a flight of stairs – and I mean that in the best possible sense – while Fair’s guitar and synths remind one of revving, and possibly failing, jet engines. I don’t know if “Alien 3” is inspired by the movie of the same name, but I do know that it’s over six minutes of industrial techno that slays as hard as a Xenomorph.

The EP comes with a remix of “Alien 3” by Daniel Avery that somehow makes the track heavier and, dare I say it, sexier, and the “Club Eat” remix of “Nike of Samothrace” – which ups the speed and would be perfect for a fight scene in whatever Matrix film comes next.

Let’s hope Mandy, Indiana puts out a full LP soon, because this EP will leave you craving more of their work.

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[Thanks to Ahmad at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Jacques Greene – ANTH01

Taking from ten years of his catalogue, ANTH01 brings together many of Jacques Greene‘s best tracks, killer dance cuts, and hypnotic grooves.

“I Won’t” is the answer to “Are you just going to sit in that dark corner of this dance club all night?” Greene’s snappy beats are all you need to get moving. “(Baby I Don’t Know) What You Want” literally gets off to a shaking start before this electro-bass saunters into the room and curls around you like a playful cat. “The Look” is similarly playful, with Greene mixing blips and bleeps with sexy house music vocals about feeling a connection – something we were all wishing for in the last two years.

The warped, yet still sexy lyric of “Tell me what you like.” starts off “Tell Me,” pulling you into a lush trip. “These Days” bursts like an opening flower and then descends on you like disco ball lights. “Arrow” has a beat like a ticking clock or a dripping faucet that turns into a warm rain shower – followed by sick, thick bass hits. The opening, echoed vocal sounds of “Ready” made my dog lift her head and look around the living room when she heard them. The rest of the song made me dance and bounce on my desk stool.

“Faded” brings in soul lyrics to mix with slick house beats, and “Faithful” continues the soul-house vibe with gospel-tinged vocals mixed with synths that sound like robotic eagles calling from above. “On Your Side” is an emotional plea to a potential lover for some kind of recognition and invitation. “Quicksand” mixes house with synthwave, and the closer, “Another Girl,” is lush house under lyrics about heartbreak and longing.

ANTH01 is a great collection of Greene’s work so far. He’s always experimenting with multiple electronic genres and this collection shows the scope of his talent.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Metz and Adulkt Life announce split 7″ single.

Today, METZ and Adulkt Life announce a split 7”, out March 4th on What’s Your Rupture?, and share Metz’s “Demolition Row.” This split 7” is a dogged, startling response to today’s spoilt life. The two bands are paired perfectly: their shared, resolute
force carries an urgency that belongs to this era alone. Both are capable of goading listeners, both are capable of unearthly moments of alloyed beauty. And both bands are made for that unflinching space between the truths that can’t be absorbed and the truths that can’t be forgotten.

METZ are undisputable. Their warning, an unflinching assessment of the vastness and insignificance of this life, is precisely counterbalanced by their lesson, which models the resilience that this understanding demands. Today’s “Demolition Row” is persistent, concise, and alarmingly physical, its punch escorted by hypnotizing, unstrained vocals. “It’s quite singular,” says METZ’s guitarist/singer Alex Edkins. “We’ve never sounded this way before.”

LISTEN TO METZ’S “DEMOLITION ROW”

Adulkt Life’s debut LP, 2020’s Book of Curses, is a contorted, forceful declaration. The 7”’s “Book of Curses” was intended for the LP, but didn’t quite fit. Singer Chris Rowley describes it as a “belligerent satellite” for the end of time: “like in a few weeks.” It’s matched here with the blip of “Ants & Lions,” a near-joke that instead feels accusatory. Atop the carnival swells of the song, only that voice could make “yabba dabba doo time” burn like acid.

The impact of these two sides, taken together, reveals a shared, defiant intention. “When you’ve made yr small space attack ship mostly from sharp sticks and dashboards and recycled fuel stuffs METZ ship looks clean and tended for battles to come,” says Chris Rowley. “Very happy to be sharing crew n rink with them.” For METZ, this record lives within their legacy of complementary projects including splits with Mission of Burma and Clipping. and their collaboration with John Reis. “It’s because we are fans of the music,” explains Edkins. “METZ are mighty aren’t they?” replies Rowley.

PRE-ORDER METZ & ADULKT LIFE 7”

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[Thanks to Jacob at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Emily Jane White says “Show Me the War” on her new single.

Emily Jane White, the intriguing Northern California-based songwriter who Pitchfork noted for her ability to pair her “wispy and sweet” vocals with “world-weary” introspection and Brooklyn Vegan has championed for her “gothy, ethereal folk” releases Alluvion on March 25 via Talitres.

“’Show Me the War’ calls attention to the convergence of misogyny and racialized violence as a pervasive worldwide epidemic,” explains White. “During the summer of 2020 in Oakland, California, I wrote this song in response to the many political uprisings sparked by the murder of George Floyd. ‘Show Me the War’ also highlights more global examples of injustice like femicide in Juarez, Mexico and the near-total abortion ban in Poland. By grieving the many losses resulting from social and ecological injustice, we shed light on these unacceptable epidemics and those deeply affected by them, further enabling change.”

News of the Alluvion’s forthcoming arrival is paired with today’s release of “Show Me The War” and its accompanying, Bobby Cochran-directed video (https://youtu.be/ENrsd0YjjBs). The black and white clip filmed in Oakland features local teen dancers Satya Zamudio, Olivia Wenzler, Dinah Cobb, Kalia Morales, and Lina Santos, displays bold Gen Z women powerfully claiming public spaces with their art form, touching the sacredness of nature, while also contending with current social justice issues and the climate crisis.

Rooted in a moment of catastrophe, Alluvion is an album about personal and collective grief resulting from the loss of human life and the continued loss of our natural world. We live in a moment of merging traumas, of converging environmental, social, and political crises. These crises are exacerbated by our lack of cultural practices for individual and also shared, public grieving–which is not without consequence. Emily’s album offers a space to consider where grieving is absent in our world, and where it is deeply necessary. Grief moves in waves and cycles, and through its flood we can build anew. Alluvion: the gradual addition to the land by the wash of water against a shore.

Alluvion was produced by and arranged by multi-instrumentalist Anton Patzner (Foxtails Brigade, Bright Eyes) and mixed by Alex DeGroot (Zola Jesus).

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[Thanks to Monica at Speakeasy PR.]

Rewind Review: Ibibio Sound Machine – Doko Mien (2019)

When I type “afrobeat” into my post here, my computer’s autocorrect feature changes it to “acrobat.” It makes a bit of sense, actually, because Ibibio Sound Machine combining Nigerian afrobeat with house music so well that they are like acrobats moving all around you with astounding skill on their 2019 album Doko Mien.

Opening track “I Need You to Be Sweet Like Sugar (Nnge Nte Suka)” sounds like a Curtis Mayfield track mixed with 64-bit video game blips. Eno Williams‘ soulful, powerful vocals grab you by the ears and don’t let go and Derrick McIntyre‘s bass roots down the whole thing. You think that’s funky? Wait until you hear “Wanna Come Down,” a track that mixes Max Grunhard‘s synths with his saxophone and Tony Hayden‘s trombone and Scott Baylis‘ trumpet so well that you’re not sure where one of the them ends and the other begins.

The title track (also known as “Tell Me”) could be an LCD Soundsystem cut if LCDSS were even funkier. “I Know That You’re Thinking About Me” brings in more soul smoothness to seduce you. “I Will Run” is a synthwave love song that makes you want to make out on the dance floor. “Just Go Forward (Ka I So)” is a call to action (“Just go forward, don’t look back!”) that everyone needs to hear – and follow.

“She Work Very Hard” has some of Alfred “Kari” Bannerman‘s most interesting guitar work on the record, sounding at times like he’s in a funk band, other times in a krautrock band, and other times like he’s in a shoegaze band. “Nyak Mien” is pure afrobeat joy. “Kuka” is even a bit psychedelic.

“Guess We Found a Way” is a trippy slow jam that, if you play it in the presence of a potential lover, you had better be prepared for something to happen. The album ends with “Basquiat” – a fittingly funky tribute to the funky artist who left us far too soon.

Acrobatic afrobeat, indeed.

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Review: Jacques Greene – Fantasy

Mostly made and recorded while he was self-isolation in Canada, Jacques Greene‘s new EP, Fantasy, came out of Greene’s exploration into presence and the blissful side of solitude.

The first track on the album, “Taurus,” hooks you within six seconds with its killer beats and meditative vocal sounds. “Memory Screen + Fantasy” is layered with trance beats, ambient chords, and images of Greene reliving his childhood through, like many of us, his computer or phone screen and memories.

According to Greene, “Relay” was made on multiple machines and recorded straight live and only fiddled with a bit in later editing. It’s a fun track that sounds like hip video arcade music. “Sky River” has thick electro-beats backed with haunting, smoky vocals from Somimagae about awakening the light within us. “Got to leave here. You are not the only one.” are the only lyrics of “Leave Here,” the closing track on the EP that, as Greene puts it, are “…kinda the most direct reference to the Get Me the Fuck Out of Here vibe of this whole record.”

Mission accomplished, Mr. Greene. This EP, brief as it is (just over twenty-one minutes), is a wonderful escape from winter chills, lockdown blues, or wherever you find yourself wishing for peaceful space.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Boy Harsher – The Runner original soundtrack

Fully embracing their love of John Carpenter film scores, and horror movies in general, Boy Harsher‘s newest record is actually the score to an original short horror film written, produced, and directed by them – The Runner.

The album’s first notes on “Tower” immediately set the dark, creepy tone and both unsettle and intrigue you. You don’t know where this is going, but you’re willing to risk the danger to find out where it leads. “Give Me a Reason” brings in a sexy vibe, with smoky vocals by Jae Matthews that have an underlying menace to them. She could very well be singing, “Give me a reason to love you.” or “Give me a reason to kill you.” at any moment.

“Autonomy” is a peppy new wave bright spot on the record, with guest vocals from Cooper B. Handy. “The Ride Home” switches back to giallo film dread and terror as it slithers around the room like some sort of killer dressed in a black trench coat and holding a gleaming straight razor. “Escape” is trippy synthwave made for a nightclub that took over an abandoned arcade.

“Machina” is another sexy number, this one with guest vocals from MS. BOAN, reminiscent of early Human League tracks. An untitled piano / synth track follows, and its lovely and unnerving at the same time. The album closes with “I Understand” – a brief, dritting track that fades away like a last breath.

So, yeah, it’s all perfect for a horror film soundtrack.

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[Thanks to Ahmad at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Vicky Farewell asks “Are We OK?” on her new, lovely single.

Today, Orange County-bred Vicky Farewell announces Sweet Company, her debut album, out April 8th on Mac’s Record Label, and presents a visualizer for its lead single, “Are We OK?” Possessing a rare combination of elite musicianship and singular vocal performance, Farewell produced, arranged, and engineered Sweet Company herself. Her particular knack for pocket-driven ear worms match the album’s melancholy tone with whimsical notions and unbridled joy.

Farewell’s emergence as a solo act is the latest chapter in an already impressive career. A classically-trained pianist, songwriter, and producer, Farewell began to flourish at the epicenter of the funk-addled and deeply experimental Angeleno musical ecosystem alongside The Free Nationals in the studios of Shafiq Husayn (of Sa-Ra Creative Partners) before graduating to the legendary hip-hop producer Dr. Dre. Boasting writing credits on Anderson .Paak’s acclaimed GRAMMY-nominated album Malibu (Best Urban Contemporary Album) and the GRAMMY-winning album Ventura (Best R&B Album); it was in the company of these giants that Farewell found her sound, and—at their urging—she ultimately found her own voice.

Today’s “Are We OK?” was born at the height of pandemic uncertainty, conveying the palpable vulnerability of that fraught period. “‘Are We OK?’ was the first song I ever wrote and produced to completion on my own,” says Farewell, “Honestly, I never considered myself much of a singer until I made this song. It really paved a way for the rest of the record.”

Watch Visualizer for Lead Single, “Are We OK?”

Grounded by the pandemic, Farewell channeled her artistic energy into a vehicle she could operate from the comforts of her own home. The ability to work with little to no input from the outside world is a hallmark of the scene that made her, and this approach affords Farewell the freedom to perfect her output. Though the first track came from her decision to write tunes for fun, Farewell was encouraged to record a full-length record by the more established artists in her orbit who were digesting these early demos. Upon finishing Sweet Company, Farewell played the album for Mac Demarco and was offered a deal on the spot: “I’ve known Vicky for several years now, she’s a good friend and a ripping musician. I’m super excited to be working on this release with her. Vicky shared a couple of the songs with me as she was making them a while ago, and it’s been cool to watch the rest of her process in putting it all together. I love all these tunes, I’m happy Vicky’s allowed us to help out with them, and I’m really excited for everybody else out there to have a rip on them.”

Sweet Company cements Farewell as a true record producer, complete with the confidence to let the music do the talking. For Farewell, it’s “all about the music and the music is fucking good.” Sweet Company is a bold statement of artistic capacity delivered in feather-light refrains, bursting phasers, and robust arpeggios that conjure pastels and the tender nostalgia of a childhood crush. Farewell finds herself fully realized in the span of eight tracks painstakingly designed to shatter industry norms.

Sweet Company Tracklist 1. Prelude 2. Sweet Company 3. Kakashi (All of the Time) 4. Believe Me 5. Are We OK? 6. H.W. 7. Forever 8. Get Me

Pre-order Sweet Company

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[Thanks to Jim at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Fhedesh tells us to “Wake Up! It’s a Bloodbath!” on his new industrial single.

Fhedesh is an American dark frequency artist and producer based in DTLA. His industrial trap sound and experimental visuals, inspired by elements of vampirism, provide a musical backdrop that inspires the freedom to bend and not only break, but demolish the rules. Talented musician turned vampire, Fhedesh is an artist in his own caliber. Fhedesh’s music explores facets of an underground lifestyle, one that embraces unapologetic creative exploration. He emerged on the scene of late night DTLA after packing out after hours parties in warehouses across Southern California and has since established himself as an artist. His sound evokes the desire to welcome darkness rather than run from it, as Fhedesh explores concepts of immorality, sexuality, mystery, and luxury in ways no other local artist has. Since the pandemic, Fhedesh has begun to channel his creative energy into his music videos rather than live performances.

Fhedesh released a single and music video called “Wake Up! IT’S A BLOODBATH”, a hard-hitting, edgy tune inspired by the current state of the world in all its misery.

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Boy Harsher and Maria Saldaña team up for “Machina.”

Boy Harsher – comprised of vocalist/lyricist Jae Matthews and producer Augustus Muller – present “Machina,” the latest offering from their new album The Runner (Original Soundtrack) out next Friday,January 21st via Nude Club/City Slang. Following singles “Tower” and “Give Me a Reason,” “Machina” continues teasing the cinematic universe of The Runner, the short horror film written and directed by Boy Harsher.

Featuring guest vocalist Mariana Saldaña of BOAN singing in Spanish and English, “Machina” is a playful yet cautionary tale about companionship and dependency. Saldaña describes a cold, sterile entity, the Machine, that is soulless and without a heartbeat. The track blends the bright palette of HI-NRG and Italo with Boy Harsher’s shadowy aesthetic and was sonically inspired by Muller’s time at the renowned Mexico City club Patrick Miller. Muller elaborates: “I was reminiscing about Friday nights at Patrick Miller. I was trying to create an artifact from a club in a far off place and an unknown time.” The electrifying self-directed video produced by Muted Widows comes from the world of The Runner, presented as an exclusive NUDE TV studio performance by Saldaña.

Watch the “Machina” (Ft. Ms. BOAN – Mariana Saldaña) Video

Boy Harsher’s fifth release is not a traditional album ⁠— it’s a soundtrack that balances eerie instrumentals with pop songs that push the boundaries of the duo’s sound. In the midst of last year’s chaos and Matthews’ MS diagnosis, she kept thinking about a sinister character: a woman running through the woods. The duo developed this idea further into The Runner, a film that follows a strange woman as she travels to a secluded, rural town where her violent compulsions are slowly revealed. The story intertwines with Boy Harsher performing on a public access channel. Their music scores the strange woman’s descent deeper into the unknown. The Runner features break-out performances by musician Kris Esfandiari (King Woman), performance artist Sigrid Lauren (FlucT), and musician Cooper B. Handy (Lucy). The Runner and its soundtrack are both a return to form and an evolution for Boy Harsher.

The Runner will begin screening in select theaters this Friday, January 14th and streaming via Shudder (North America, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand) and Mandolin (rest of the world) on Sunday, January 16th. Visit therunner.film for more info on screenings and tickets.

Watch the “Tower” Video

Listen to “Give Me a Reason”

Watch The Runner Trailer

Pre-order The Runner (Original Soundtrack)

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[Thanks to Ahmad at Pitch Perfect PR.]