STRFLL - Part II. The Flowers Will Bloom In My Sanctuary

I reviewed the first half of STRFLL's two-part album back in September, and despite having both volumes on rotation on my phone for months, I am only just writing about "The Flowers Will Bloom In My Sanctuary" now. I concluded that "Withering" may be STRFLL's most radical and genre-pushing release to date, and I still stand by it. Part two, on the other hand, feels closer to the epic "In Memoriam" album from last year, almost as if it were a natural continuation of that record. The guitars, the melodies, and the drums all feel like a worthy heir following in the footsteps of my favourite album of 2025. It's hard to pinpoint a single standout track here - STRFLL's production is on point throughout, making it effortless to immerse myself in their ever-expanding witch house universe. That being said, "By The River" sounds like something Julee Cruise would have sung on if she had the chance, such a dreamy song! Both parts of the album form a cohesive, creative whole and I can't recommend checking them both out asap!

Buy the album here, stream it in full down below.

Nospheric - Chain Demon

Nospheric is an alias of Alex F. Pearson, a prolific metal/death industrial musician from Leeds. His 2024 digital-only EP "Chain Demon" saw a limited 3" CDR release earlier this year via Bone Valley, and I wanted to make sure it's archived on the pages of this blog, as it is a sick and twisted release (as the cover art may suggest). The opener, "Khepri", sounds like a world-building soundtrack for a horror movie, conveying the feeling that something bad is about to happen. The "Chain Demon" suite that follows is a 10-minute-plus epic composed in three parts that feeds off the previous track and injects a dose of crushing noise wall, heavy drones, and layers of dark ambience. The gates of hell will not close tonight.

Check both tracks after the jump. There's a handful of CDs left to purchase here.

Kutmah - Sci-fi Soul And The Slow Beat : An Illbient Mix

Kutmah has once again delivered an insanely stacked mix, boasting a ton of unreleased stuff from the likes of J Dilla, GLK, Ta'raach, Alchemist, Ras G and more! It's wild how much gold this dude must have on his CDRs. The title "Sci-fi Soul And The Slow Beat : An Illbient Mix" pretty much speaks for itself, but don't be fooled - there's a solid dose of boom bap there too. Buy this mixtape here.

Brick - Black Flame

Ok, I realise this is heavily inspired by SALEM, but fuck me this track is so good and addictive. It perfectly captures that ethereal SALEM vibe that shined on their best tracks in the past. Brick's production is on point here. Support him by buying the single here.

Pictureplane - Dungeon Rap Mix

Stellar new mix-tape from Pictureplane just landed on Bandcamp. After the 2017's Dungeon Synth Mix and 2023's Dungeon Trance Mix, today we got a sound collage of Dungeon Rap tracks. I'm hooked from the get go. You can download this epic mix here.

Filmy Ghost - Soundscapes From The Red Room

Twin Peaks-inspired EP from Humanfobia's Sábila Orbe (aka Filmy Ghost), featuring six experimental and eclectic compositions that live in the liminal space between the Black Lodge and the physical reality of Cooper and co. Forged from a wide selection of sounds and voices, this feels like an evil collage-monster made by a delirious scientist - it's eerie, uncomfortable and unpredictable. "Soundscapes from the Red Room" is the third release (this year alone!) put together by Sábila as a tribute to the show, following two volumes of "The Owls of the Black Lodge".

Buy the EP here. Stream in full after the jump.

QMDX x Kuroi Ame - 眼泪含泪 「Remixes」

QMDX (previously known as 輕描淡寫) and the dreampunk duo Kuroi Ame released an absolutely stellar record entitled "眼泪含泪" back in 2020 via Pure Life Records. Six years later, the label and the trio organised a remix album celebrating their collaboration and invited some of the household names from the Pure Life stable to rework the original stems. The result, consisting of a whopping 22 tracks, feels like a long-overdue dessert after a main course that really hit the right spot back in the day. Personal highlights are the minimal killer from jhg, the lo-fi house jam from *teeth, Raphael Piacentino's uplifting banger, and the future garage edit from Cryosauna.

Check out the album here, there will be a CD version coming soon! You can stream all the tracks below.