Mandy, Indiana sign to Sacred Bones and announce their new album, URGH, out February 6th, with lead single “Magazine.” On URGH, Mandy, Indiana is a force of uncanny nature, grafting together a record that is as much a call to action as a parlay into oblivion and transcendence. Following their acclaimed 2023 debut, i’ve seen a way, URGH finds the band expanding their far-reaching sound with each member — vocalist Valentine Caulfield, guitarist and producer Scott Fair, synth player Simon Catling, and drummer Alex Macdougall — actively taking part in the songwriting process. Across ten tracks, Mandy, Indiana interpolate their own unconventional language into a mantra for self-determination and resilience, forging a template for a brighter future before it fades to black.
Co-produced and co-mixed by Fair and Daniel Fox of Gilla Band, much of URGH was written during an intense residency at an eerie studio house in the outskirts of Leeds and recorded across Berlin and Greater Manchester. The process was shaped by adversity with both Caulfield and Macdougall undergoing multiple rounds of surgeries in the same time frame as the album was being written and recorded. The harrowing experience and the exhaustion of their respective recoveries bleed into the surreality of Caufield’s writing, blurring the line between inner turmoil and external chaos.
URGH is deeply personal, yet also reflects the violent, fractured state of the wider world as Caulfield’s lyrics grapple with assault, systemic indifference, and the omnipresence of pain. While most of the lyrics are in her native French, the emotional clarity cuts through regardless of language. Caulfield still uses her voice as a distorted instrument and a weapon, oscillating between equal parts playful and eviscerating, showcased on today’s single, “Magazine.” The throbbing siren-sound of the song finds the band garnering drama from the juxtaposition of quiet moments and explosive commotion as Caufield sings in French: “Abandon / All hope / Because tonight / I’m coming for you.” The accompanying visualizer was directed by Stephen Agnew.
Commenting on the song, Caulfield explains: “‘Magazine’ is the expression of the frustration and deep-seated violence I felt while attempting to recover from being raped. Just like most victims of sexual assault, I will never get justice, and just like most perpetrators, my attacker will never be punished. My therapist encouraged me to channel my anger into something productive, so here it is: my primal, screaming call for retribution. It is the only way I will ever get to say to my rapist: you hurt me, so I’m going to hurt you.”
Although there are still undeniable “bangers” across the album, from the bristling techno of “Cursive” to the frazzled rap of “Sicko!” featuring billy woods, URGH feels hewn with precise cinema. Fair and Macdougall explain that “a lot of the record is a remix of itself,” a cohesion of the band’s aptitude for collaging sounds and ideas that could operate as a film score or an industrial club night. Where i’ve seen a way drew from escapism, URGH (even from the reactive nature of the title alone) belongs in the physical world, and the artwork by the artist Carnovsky, featuring an anatomical illustration of Andreas Vesalius, underscores the record’s visceral confrontation with the body and its limits.
For Mandy, Indiana, the truth is the only way through. In 2025, the ability to make art that is seen and heard is its own form of protest, and directly addressing these issues is its own reclamation of power and strength in solidarity. URGH is a cathartic first step toward healing and a refusal to let the conversation die.
Mandy, Indiana will tour across Europe next year with shows in London, Paris, Berlin and more. All dates are listed below.
Mandy, Indiana Tour Dates Wed. March 25 – London, UK @ Heaven Fri. March 27 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club Sat. March 28 – Glasgow, UK @ Room 2 Wed. April 8 – Dunkirk, FR @ Les 4 Ecluses Thu. April 9 – Paris, FR @ Petit Bain Sun. April 12 – Cologne, DE @ Bumann & Sohn Tue. April 14 – Copenhagen, DK @ Huset Wed. April 15 – Berlin, DE @ Urban Spree Thu. April 16 – Hamburg, DE @ MS Stubnitz Fri. April 17 – Tilburg, NL @ Roadburn Sat. April 18 – Rotterdam, NL @ Motel Mozaique
Just Mustard is Katie Ball, David Noonan, Mete Kalyoncuoğlu, Rob Clarke, and Shane Maguire. WE WERE JUST HERE signals a pivotal moment for the band. While Just Mustard’s signature elements are still intact —warped guitars, twisted sound design drawing from the luminary world of Aphex Twin, and cavernous low ends—this time, it’s all been channeled into a warmer and more anthemic path. The strange and distinct universe the band creates on WE WERE JUST HERE is reinforced with haunting interludes of speech and noise, snippets of voice memos, and elements from various demos. Whereas Heart Under explored themes of grief and longing, the songs here draw from a wide spectrum of emotion and feeling, with characters searching for ecstasy, holding onto love, and grasping for the rush of feeling alive.
Wed. Apr. 8 – Stockholm, SE @ Debaser Thu. Apr. 9 – Oslo, NO @ John Dee Sat. Apr. 11 – Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen Sun. Apr. 12 – Hamburg, DE @ Nochtspeicher Mon. Apr. 13 – Cologne, DE @ Helios 37 Wed. Apr. 15 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Thu. Apr. 16 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique Fri. Apr. 17 – Paris, FR @ Le Trabendo Sun. Apr. 19 – Norwich, GB @ The Waterfront Mon. Apr. 20 – Birmingham, GB @ The Castle & Falcon Tue. Apr. 21 – Newcastle, GB @ The Grove Thu. Apr. 23 – Glasgow, GB @ Glasgow School of Art Fri. Apr. 24 – Leeds, GB @ Brudenell Social Club Sat. Apr. 25 – Manchester, GB @ Gorilla Mon. Apr. 27 – Bristol, GB @ Thekla Tue. Apr. 28 – Brighton, GB @ CHALK Wed. Apr. 29 – London, GB @ Electric Brixton Fri. May 1 – Dublin, IE @ Olympia Theatre Fri. May 8 – Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern Sat. May 9 – Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret Sun. May 10 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall Tue. May 12 – San Francisco, CA @ Cafe Du Nord Thu. May 14 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room Sat. May 16 – West Hollywood , CA @ Troubadour Sun. May 17 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar – Music Hall Tue. May 19 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge Thu. May 21 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle Sat. May 23 – Toronto, ON @ The Garrison Sun. May 24 – Montréal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB Tue. May 26 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom Fri. May 29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s Sat. May 30 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd Music House Fri. June 26 – Dublin, IE @ Marlay Park * Sun. June 28 – Belfast, IE @ Belsonic ^ Sun. Aug. 23 – Edinburgh, SF @ Royal Highland Showgrounds, Edinburgh Summer Sessions #
* with The Cure & Stella and the Dreaming ^ with The Cure & The Twilight Sad # with The Cure, Slowdive, & Mogwai
Way back in August 1976, “Fast” Eddie Clarke (guitar), LemmyKilmister (bass and vocals) and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor (drums) got together at the famous Manticore Studio in Fulham, England. That new, classic Motörhead lineup was recorded for the first time there, and now those recordings have been released nearly fifty years later.
Starting with an instrumental intro, the band wastes no time with “Leavin’ Here.” They put down a fast, heavy rocker that might make you quit your job or current relationship. The swaggering groove of “Vibrator” is matched well with Kilmister’s pub-punk vocals. “Help Keep Us on the Road” has Clarke’s guitar at the front and Kilmister’s vocals at the back.
“I’ll give you a chance to do the right thing,” Kilmister warns on “The Watcher.” Taylor’s drums are sharp on the track, as is Clarke’s solo. The new lineup’s take on “Motörhead” is as gritty and growling as you hope it will be. The album closes with two great instrumentals, “Witch Doctor” (with Clarke and Kilmister going bonkers) and “Iron Horse / Born to Lose,” and then alternate takes of “Leavin’ Here,” “Vibrator,” and “The Watcher.”
The LP version of The Manticore Tapes comes with a bonus recording a live show from 1977 in Birmingham that includes live versions of all the “Manticore” tracks as well as “Train Kept A-Rollin’,” “City Kids,” and “White Line Fever.”
This is an unearthed gem for not only fans of Motörhead and NWOBHM bands, but also metal, rock, and music historians.
Chicago rapper, producer, an all-around cool cat Ric Wilson finds and speaks many truths on his newest EP, America Runs on Disco. The title alone is accurate, whether you want to believe it or not. Wilson wrote the record during his bafflement over the 2024 election results and wanting to shake off the doldrums he was feeling.
He comes up with the funky, fresh, and frisky “They Can’t Get Next to You,” which blends rap with house music and Italo-disco touches. “Blah Blah Blah” (with Kiela Adira helping out on vocals) sizzles and snaps and will slide right into your next house party mix. Party Pupils join Wilson on “Missin’ My Window,” a fun track about not opening the door when opportunity knocks and offers you love or at least a fun night. It sounds like he missed a lot of opportunities while on tour, and “Chicago to London” is a bit of a sequel to it (“Come and get deez these disco balls.”).
The title track drops enough groovy bass to power a couple hip hop albums and comes with plenty of wisdom (“The only way to live is to accept you’ll die.”). “Everybody Red in the Face” has Wilson looking for calm in the storm of rage that’s grabbed the country by the throat, and wondering if he’s the only person searching for it (“Is anybody else out there, or am I alone?”). “When Pigs Fly” closes the EP with bright synth notes while Wilson drops bars that call out people who are embracing that anger or pretending to be hard because they’re afraid to be vulnerable or admit admit they’re wrong.
Wilson continues to drop sweet records like this. He knows the country needs to have a good time. He’s getting up early to make the disco. Don’t disappoint him by not getting any.
Mars Red Sky returned in 2023 with Dawn of the Dusk (which I can’t help but wonder if the title is a riff on Dawn of the Dead), which brings us down from outer space and plants us firmly on and underneath the Earth.
As seems customary, MRS open the album with a sonic blast that is led by Jimmy Kinast gravity well-like bass line. “Break Even” is a cautionary tale of selling out just to keep up with everyone else when you’re secretly miserable (“He’ll quit and join the race, the rank and file for normality. If you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere. Just what you’d be making exactly is anyone’s guess.”). “Maps of Inferno” is a collaboration with Queen of the Meadow and has that band’s Helen Ferguson and MRS’ Julien Pras sharing vocals about guarding a sky-high tower (perhaps one of the ruins on the album’s cover) while the empire below lives in ignorant bliss while Pras’ guitar melts everything around it.
Kinast takes over lead vocals on “The Final Round” – a song that seems to be about that aforementioned tower guarding coming down to fight some horrible menace. The instrumental track “A Choir of Ghosts” is aptly named, as it’s spooky, heavy, and menacing. Mathieu Gazeau‘s drums take front stage on “Carnival Man,” moving from stoner metal rumbling to almost jazz-rock cymbal work.
After the brief instrumental “Trap Door,” we have “Slow Attack.” It encapsulates many of the album’s lyrics and themes of vigilance, combat, loneliness, isolation, ruin, and emergence from that ruin. Pras and Kinast’s guitars unleash fire from above on it while Gazeau’s drums bring to mind structures crumbling under that assault.
Mars Red Sky have begun dabbling in prog-rock with Dawn of the Dusk, which isn’t a bad thing. It will be interesting to hear where they go next. They’ve been to space and returned to an altered planet. What’s next? Back to Mars? A journey within the self? It should be a wild journey.
Melenas‘ Dias Raros (Strange Days) gets off to a great start with “Primer Tiempo” (“First Time”) – a song that hums and buzzes (thanks in great part to synths and keyboards from members Oihana and MariaMelenas). “No Puedo Pensar” (“I Can’t Think”) hits the theme of the album – days when you’re questioning decisions and even if you should worry about them. Oihana’s guitar strumming on it is top-notch.
The soft reverbed vocals and guitars of “29 Grados” (“29 Degrees”) are outstanding. Laura Torres‘ drums on “Despertar” (“Wake Up”) will certainly shake the cobwebs out of your head…but be warned that the synths and psychedelic guitar effects might lull you back into dream land. “El Tiempo Ha Pasado” (“Time Has Passed”) has lovely vocal harmonies from Oihana and bassist Leire Melenas and beautiful church organ-like sounds from Maria.
“Los Anemales” (“The Animals”) brings in krautrock elements and shows how well the Melenas can pull off mantra-like beats and bass (Leire’s groove on it is slick.) and mix them with psych-rock riffs. “3 Segundos” (“3 Seconds”) is one of the best rockers on the record. Leire locks down the track with her heavy bass tone and Laura drives it like she’s racing through the Pyrenees. Meanwhile, Maria’s keyboards and Oihana’s guitar chase after you like wailing police cars.
“Ciencia Ficción” (“Science Fiction”) does this cool switch about halfway through it from krautrock riffing to Lindsey Buckingham-like guitar work. “En Madrid” (“In Madrid”) has this lush feel to it that reminds me of Dum Dum Girls tracks. “Ya No Es Verano” (“It’s Not Summer Anymore”) will go on your “End of Summer” playlist from now on, because it has a brightness to it but the vocals have you pining for the start of summer now that you were just in the groove of having fun in the sun.
The album ends with the Velvet Underground-inspired “Vals” (“Waltz”), a great way to send us off with almost a caress and hopeful dreams.
It’s a beautiful record that feels otherworldly at times. We’re all living in strange days. This album will help with that if you need it.
You can interpret the cover of Skloss‘ debut album, The Pattern Speaks, in a couple different ways. Is the cover image light and matter being drawn into a black hole by its massive gravity well, or is it light and matter bursting from a void? Either option alters all reality around, within, and beyond it.
So does this album.
Husband and wife duo Karen Skloss (drums and main vocals) and Sandy Carson (guitars and backing vocals) create tremendous power that seems to change physics. Gravity feels heavier, colors look brighter, clouds move in strange patterns, trees loom larger, and sounds almost become solid masses. The opening title track is a reminder that patterns exist among the chaos of the universe. Knowledge is there for the taking if you give yourself the time to observe without judgement. The patterns will speak to you. The roar of the song shakes you like re-entry from orbit.
“Mind Hive” is almost the opposite. You’re not re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere – you’re leaving it. Carson’s guitar sounds like jet engines at multiple points in the song while Skloss’ echoing vocals are the thoughts in your mind sliding out and being left behind on the ground as your brain opens to the stars. On “Imagine 100 Dads,” Skloss puts lyrics aside for vocal sounds to create a hypnotic feel that leans the “cover image debate” toward the “It’s light emerging, not falling, from the void.” side…until the second half when Carson’s riffs are so big that they feel like they’re causing sinkholes under your house.
“Dead Bone” is your new favorite stoner / doom instrumental cut and might be the one that makes you think, “How is this just two people?” the most. “Snorkels Ask” mixes the sound of buzzing cicadas with angry hornet guitars. “Upper Attic” is just as fuzzy and suitable for a haunted house run by the ghosts of a metal band killed in a freak accident on Halloween. “Plugged into Jupiter” has us drifting around the giant planet, unsure if we’ll be able to escape its gravitational (guitar-induced) pull or if we’d be better off just hanging out for a while or maybe cruise along the surface of one of its moons.
Wrapping up with the heavy and haunting “Ghosts Are Entertaining” ends the album with another double-meaning. Are the ghosts entertaining guests, or are ghosts fun to watch in general? If it’s the former, then the sonic assault of the song makes you think that the ghosts are having a great time, but their guests might be terrified. If it’s the latter, then the fuzzy roar and cymbal crashes make us imagine we’re all thinking, “This is pretty damn cool.” while standing in the foyer of a haunted house as the ghosts rock out on a drum kit made of tombstones and a guitar made out of a cemetery gate.
So, what is the pattern? What is it telling us? Are we falling into a void or emerging from one? I’m still not sure. Skloss are able to pull us into the gravity well or slingshot us around the sun with equal skill. That might be the pattern: Two people, two instruments, two opposite yet equal forces creating one powerful record.
Remember the E.F. Hutton commercials of the 1970s and 1980s? Their slogan was, “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen.” When The Pattern Speaks, people transform.
Take piano from cool jazz cat Joe Alterman and mix it with beats, bass, samples, and loops from Mocean Worker in a tribute to a late jazz and soul legend, Les McCann, and you get a downright groovy record – Keep the Line Open.
Starting with McCann’s high-pitched, hysterical laugh on “I Love It!, I Love It!, I Love It!,” Alterman (who counted McCann as a mentor and friend) and Worker have a blast right away, zipping along city streets (Are those traffic and train samples I hear?) with the windows down and at least three pretty ladies in the back seat. Worker’s bass line on “Yay Yay Yay” is designed to make you strut, and Alterman’s piano is designed to make you dress sharp for the evening.
On “Burnin’ Coal,” McCann tells a story of how he paid an announcer fifty bucks to introduce him with grandeur at an early gig in California, and then Alterman and Worker slide into a sweet groove complete with samples of ladies cheering, clapping, and stomping in the background. “Never have I seen a tuning fork ever,” says McCann as he talks with Alterman on learning how to play on and out of tune piano. “I never knew the difference,” he says, and then “Gimme Some Skin” breaks open with one of the happiest grooves on the record (and that’s saying a lot, considering the whole album is a happy delight) as Alterman rips on his electric piano.
“Circus Going Backwards” is a smoky, mysterious number. How can it not be with a title like that? “Get This to the People” could’ve been a hip hop jam in the golden era of 1990s rap (and still could be – someone needs to get on this). “Moses Gonzales” is so smooth that you could roll marbles across it in a straight line. “Lemme Tell You Somethin'” thumps and bumps in all the right spots.
The album closes with “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly / Les Has the Last Word” (as he should) – a great track of simple honkytonk piano from Alterman and a recording of McCann encouraging him (and us) to continue learning and growing.
Congratulations. You just found one of your new favorite punk bands.
Hailing from Astoria, Oregon, Beta Voids have unleashed (a far better description than “released”) their debut EP, Scrape It Off, and given us a much-needed adrenaline shot and kick in the ass.
The first thing you notice about them on the opening track, “Nothing to Me,” is the great interplay between the two lead vocalists – Carrie Beveridge and Mandy Grant. They sing / yell / chant about stuff that you can care about, but they really don’t give a damn. Next you notice Alpha Rasmussen‘s wild, frenetic saxophone running around the studio and your speakers.
On “Meat Head Look” (a song, I think, about guys trying and failing to impress women), you notice Mike Vasquez‘s thudding bass that somehow is able to lock in all this chaos happening across the whole EP and give it free reign at the same time. “Palpitations” roars like Bleach-era Nirvana (thanks much to Dan McClure‘s buzzsaw guitar) if Nirvana dove further down the post-punk rabbit hole instead of the metal one in their early days.
“Alan” is a twenty-three-second tribute to famous people with that name. That’s it. That’s all you need to know, really. “Brain Malfunction” is as bonkers as its title. “Baby’s in Detox” is even crazier and seems to be about being sad about being sober.
The closer, “M-O-T-H-E-R,” is a solid rock track, reminding me of The Stooges and grounded by Seth Howard‘s straight-up garage rock beats. Ms. Beveridge and Ms. Grant either pay tribute to or complain about their moms. I’m not sure. It works either way.
The whole thing works. Beta Voids are here to stomp down doors and on faces. Get in the pit or get out of the way.
