December 2024 – Page 2 – 7th Level Music

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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[Thanks to Tom at Terrorbird Media.]

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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[Thanks to George at Terrorbird Media.]

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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[Merci à Angie à NRV!]

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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[Thanks to Bailey at Another Side.]

Review: Tombstones in Their Eyes – Asylum Harbour

First, how gorgeous is that album cover?

Apart from having a cool name and album cover, Los Angeles psych-rockers Tombstones in Their Eyes, have crafted a great album of psych-rock and shoe gaze – Asylum Harbour that’s as cool as both their name and its cover.

“In Your Eyes” opens the album with rumbling bass tones and vocals from John Treanor about his willingness to win the admiration of a distant lover that sound like they’re coming from across the harbor in the album’s title. “Sweet As Pie” is about appeasing a lover to make a relationship easier (“You’re sweet as pie when you get your way.”), with Courtney Davies joining Treanor on vocals. The feel of the track reminds me of some of Failure‘s work.

The guitar fuzz on “Mirror” (which I think is about self-blame for screwing up a good thing) is grade-A. Joel Wasko‘s bass on “I Like to Feel Good” takes the album into doom territory, with the rest of the band (especially Stephen Striegel on drums) plunging into the abyss with him. “I’m Not Like That” has Treanor trying to convince a lover he’s not as bad as he seems while acknowledging his faults.

That being said, Treanor admits “I don’t wanna be the one to change.” on “Gimme Some Pain,” an acoustic cut that would easily fit on an Alice in Chains record. “By My Side” has Treanor calling for his lover to join him in good times and bad, and possibly in another dimension considering the sound of the track. Treanor has to face tough truths on “The Sky Is Blue” (“The sky is blue, and I’m nothing to you.”), and the crunch of the guitars on it only hammers the point home more for him.

“Set Me Free” has Treanor asking to escape a self-built prison of doubt, and the wall of guitars behind him might help his escape plan. The album ends with Treanor still looking for love (“It would be nice if you looked at me. It would be nice if you cared.”), but probably not finding it soon…even though the track is the most upbeat on the album. He ‘s hasn’t given up all hope.

The album’s title refers to a nautical term for a place to wait out a storm. Treanor and the rest of Tombstones in Their Eyes have sought safety in music and each other while the world thunders around them. We can all relate to that at the end of 2024, can’t we?

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[Thanks to Shauna at Shameless Promotions.]

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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[Thanks to Bailey at Another Side.]

Review: Randondo – Deluge EP

What do you get when you mix synth-wave with Italian disco, new wave, and a bit of dark wave? If you’re British producer / DJ Radondo, you get his new Deluge EP.

It starts with the bumping, thumping “Virtue,” which will have you on the dance floor in moments with its early Ministry-like percussion and dangerously sexy synth-bass. “Centrale” sounds like something from your favorite 1980s late night action-mystery film or something you haven’t heard since you stumbled into a Detroit night club in 1985.

The subtle, unintelligible female vocal sounds on the title track (performed by Neu-Romancer) provide a neat contrast to the dark-tinged synths, and the closer, “Overflow,” feels like, believe it or not, an upbeat goth track.

It’s a cool EP, and Radondo moves around all these different genres with ease, mixing them together in a way that’s not too heavy on nostalgia.

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[Thanks to Eclectica!]

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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[Merci à Angéla à NRV Promotion.]

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.

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[Thanks to Kate at Stereo Sanctity.]