Ritualz - Hypermotion X 2.0

Dagger Forest will release tomorrow a compilation of two extraterrestial EPs from Ritualz: "Hypermotion X" and "Hypermotion Demos", now collectively named "Hypermotion X 2.0". The newly mastered material is a spaced-out take on the trance-leaning spectrum of JC's work. The original "Hypermotion X" was published in 2012 by Mishka NYC, while the demos were self-released by the artist one year later. The former EP consists of four post-trance witch transmissions destined for the clubbing after-party cooldown zone. Kicking off with the cinematic, eerie ambient intro (that got extended for this tape release), Ritualz channels darkwave influences intertwined with witchhouse elements and melodic vocals throught the next three tracks - each one unique in its own right. "Limerence" is a the slowest of them all, like a sad ballad with muted vocals, dope beats and synths. "Alien" ups the tempo with his signature witch-trance only to be countered by pulsing "Rhythmic Release". Side B includes two demo versions of "Limerence" and "Alien", backed with three dance-focused tracks that further explore the underground trance-phoria. Brillaint release and a great companion to Mascara's "Heru-Ra-Ha" from the same label.

Order the tapes here, and check out the whole release below.

Marble Fields - Marble Fields

New side project from Nights Templar debuted on his brand new Bandcamp page for Reapo Records bandcamp page. Free download.

Grab it here (or get one of the limited tapes), and stream in full after the jump.

STRFLL - XIX

Gritty drones and static ambience from STRFLL's recent single "Gas Station Sanctuary" leaked onto his October mixtape called "XIX". While witch house at heart, the mix, thanks to its selection, is drifting in the ominous waters that are deep, dark and deadly. Featuring a ton of STRFLL exlusives, Salem, Dog99, Gift Exchange and even a classic from Unison. Free download here.

Opacity Bleak - Warmth

Opacity Bleak has just released a new EP on his bandcamp, and it's free to download. "Warmth" is essentially an exploration into the realms of bass music, through the hiphop/IDM/beat scene lense from the last decade, but composed in a way that doesn't sound like something that has been done before. Lorn fans pay attention to this guy.

Grab the whole thing here, and preview all the tracks below.

MORGVE - Ind​ø​mito

Morgve unveiled their new album today (another review coming up), but before I dig into that, let's delve into their preceding LP, "Indømito" which came out in August. And this record is definitely worth promoting more, being a natural culmination of their unquestionable reign as one of the best duos that ever came on the witch house-adjacent scene. While still retaining band's underground soul and sitting closely to the conceptual underground, "Indømito" could be perceived as their most accessible album, with a string of super catchy and melodic compositions. The duo's songwriting potential is just incredible, and production is better than ever, drawing from witch music, industrial, rave scene, electro, drone and bass, mixed into a dark and alluring cocktail. The excellent instrumentals are then amplified by Nadia's vocals, which oscillate between slow-paced rap and singing, giving the tracks an extra kick and character. With every successive album, I find myself repeating that it's Morgve's best, only to be proven wrong as they consistently surpass expectations and go one step further. Excellent album, do not miss this.

Support the band and buy the album here. Stream it below.

Spike Hellis - Altitude Sickness

This one has been cooking for a while now (I've reported on the Pressure and Normal Bias remixes back in March), so I'm stoked to finally be able to hear the end product. "Altitude Sickness" collects eight remixes of tracks from the self-titled album, futher expanding the Spike Hellis' EBM universe. Club Music Mental is such a simple expansion of the original yet works on so many levels. Moon 17 is another brilliant edit.

Buy the album here, and stream all the remixes below.

Kutmah - Unreleased Beat Mix

40 minutes of exclusive beat nuggets from Kutmah's crates landed on Bandcamp in the shape of a 2-track mixtape compiling tracks recorded in one day (!) in November this year. Dude's creativity is boundless, the tracks vary from more mellow, jazzy and library leaning on side A, to more abstract beatmaking on side B. Bump it, cop it, have fun. Buy the tape here.

Foreverghosts - Forever Ghosts

Foreverghosts may be a new side project of Sad Madona... Self-described as "autumnwave emoband" from Paris, their six track EP "Forever Ghosts" takes on moody emo-leaning shoegaze and spices things up with some black metal influences here and there. Not a mind-blowing release, but pleasant listen nonetheless. Give it a spin, it's free.

Cop it here, stream after the jump.

VOIDXWITCH - Ecstasy In Darkness

VOIDXWITCH is a witch-house project of Hayley "Hex" Evans, one half of ritual drone band Blood and Dust from Montreal, Canada. Her debut release "Ecstasy In Darkness" is a brutally honest and retrospective foray into the world of pain, anger and sadness translated through dark electronic music. Co-produced by her B&D partner Lizbeth Poirier, the EP is a brooding take on witchhouse interwoven with elements of industrial, goth and electro-pop. Anyone fond of last year's LP from Alice Glass will love the honesty here, while fans of mainstream witch-house that doesn't sound like it was hastily produced according to Wikipedia recipe will love the rich compositions. The closing track "Requiem For The Night" is simply fantastic, dancefloor killer for all the vampires and werewolves.

At the time of this post the CDs are sold out, but you can still grab the digital here. Stream all the tracks below.

Dirtr4t - I M4de You A Mixtape

Dirtr4t (Stay Healthy) makes a grand return with a 27 minute long mixtape that covers everything in between gutter and pop. I can hear some exclusive Stay Healthy stuff snuck in there too. Brilliant selection and mood building. Stream here.

Bexley Moms - Beach Vibes

Seapunk revival is here, and Bexley Moms are at the forefront of it. The turquoise splattered duo, based between Chicago (Matt McCroskey aka hazelboy) and Pittsburgh (Brianna Snider aka brake run), unleashed their surf noise-pop LP "Beach Vibes" in August this year while playing shows alongside Mutant Zones' fav E_Death. The album is a wild, shell-studded and dolphin-sampling ride created in a music blender filled to the brim with hyperpop, jungle, twisted garage pop and a ton of seaweed. My suggestion is to reserve a 30-minute slot for yourself and the album, put the headphones on, crank up the volume and dive in. Some of the choruses BM put together are catchy as hell ("Don't Know Can't Tell You!" or "Mermaid Riptide") and you'll find yourself humming those melodies way after the album stops. Really fun, eclectic and momentarily unpredictable record that could be only possible in the 2020s. Fans of Sleigh Bells' "Treats" are up for a treat.

"Beach Vibes" is out now on CD and digital and can be purchased here.

SODAPOP - Sweet Fizzly Songs for Miscellaneous Hooligans, Vol. 1

Every now and then a project lands in my mailbox that doesn't really fit this blog, but there's something in it that make me post it anyway. SODAPOP's debut EP "Sweet Fizzly Songs for Miscellaneous Hooligans, Vol. 1" is one of them - an unapologetic ode to bedroom pop told through a mix of globetrotter music that manages to smoothly flow between styles and genres, while keeping the upbeat mood throughout. Funky indie-pop, bossa nova-inspired instrumentals, and catchy 00s-era indie rock are all packed into this (almost) 8 minutes long EP. Download it here.

Brian Wenner - Chop Shop

Brian Wenner is a Brooklyn-based composer, sound designer and performer, who used to go by Prism House before switching to his birth name. "Chop Shop" presented above is a video single lifted from his new album "Age of Execution", a glitchy musique électrique that feels like walking through numerous corridors, command centres and cockpits of a lost-in-space galaxy explorer. It may sound minimal at face value, but the track is actually quite complex with all the micro elements stitched together to form an alien-like composition. The album came out via Grind Select on November 10, 2023 and can be ordered here. The video was created by Giselle Angeles.

Swim Ignorant Fire - Glow

Swim Ignorant Fire is a Chicago-based project by Stephen Holliger. His new EP "Glow" was, however, recorded in collaboration with two other musicians: Yea Big on bass clarinet and Nate Hahn on bowed and traditional pedal steel guitar. Organic ambient instrumentation with a soft post-rock edge.

Get the limited lathe here, and stream the whole thing below.

Montoya - Bruises

Montoya once again comes through with a sick shoegazing witch house flip in the shape of "Bruising". Sampling San Antonio altrocker Cy666rus and their track "Passed Out On A Park Bench", Montoya carves it up into a dark rap gem. Grab it on Bandcamp here.

Candle Ea†er - ||Nekrosophik||

New album from Candle Eater dropped back in September, but only now I had a chance to sit down and digest it. The opening track "Desolation" sets the atmospheric tone for ||Nekrosophik||, and is one of a handful of less beat-driven tracks here that are really shining. "Third Coin", "Sands of Gulgatha", the droning "Blood Sigil" which evolves into a low-key dark dancefloor hit, and the closing "Nekrosophik" bring a fresh take on modern witch house, by taking it to the genre's roots. Love the tribal and raw feel of "Black in Green", very suspensful production. "Crimson Storm" is another one of my favs here, heavily inspired by hiphop beats, it lurks in the dark corners of the genre like an assassin waiting for a prey. Overall - great LP, if I could change two things is to move the second track towards the end, and maybe shorten the total duration of the album.

Buy the LP here, and stream it below.

Sniper Bait - Suburban Blackmail (Long Edit)

Sniper Bait on a droning duty with this 18+ minutes long suite "Suburban Blackmail".

Rune Jail - October 31st 7PM

Rune Jail is the new alias of TJ Cowgill, better known as King Dude, created to explore the world of horror disco and beyond. His first single "October 31st 7PM" dropped on Halloween, and it's a atmospheric piece of dark synthwave and library music, that feels like it was composed with an 80s giallo movie in mind. Spooky season never ends on Mutant Zones. Get it here.

Holyld - Ectoplasme & Ashes Of Silence // video

Ritualz - Violently Happy

"Violently Happy" is one of the few singles from Bjork that I enjoy, here covered and reworked by Ritualz with an industrial spin to it, making it sound even better than the original. The witchy S+R remix is equally good, giving it a zombie rave edge, perfect for a graveyear shift. The nightcore filp may require a couple of Redbulls to appreciate it fully, but overall it's a dope, ravey edit. Nice one!

Grab the release here, and stream it after the jump.

Charlatan - Suburban Gothic

"Suburban Gothic" is the new EP from Virginia-based witch house producer Charlatan. Consisting of five tracks, it forges a solid link between Charlatan's more hip-hop oriented beats and the gloomy, lo-fi witch house that's been seeing a ressurection over the last couple of years. Pharmacist features on "Cholera" and lifts the track beautifully with his vocals and synth (or so I assume). Really solid EP and worth checking out.

Download it here, and check all the tracks below.

Pale Palace - Volt Volta

"Volt Volta" is the latest EP from the Swedish production wonder Pale Palace. Following the incredible mixtape "Paleland Radio 26.6 FM", as well as "Life Deluxe" beattape, here he brings to the table five new tracks deeply rooted in hip-hop production filtered through his signature sound treatment techniques. I love the Skepta's sample flip in "Volt (Praise The Lord)", as well as the signature "flute synth" in "Pegasus". "Weddings" sounds oddly upbeat, but damnit it works. "Auto" is a brilliant closing track, sort of a crossbread between witch house and video game music, the sample choice, keys, as well as drum programming is perfect here.

Cop the EP here, and stream below.

Ourobonic Plague - Megabark

Ourobonic Plague's new album "Activated Sludge" is slowly creeping on us, but before it dropes Nick has served a "megasingle" "Megabark" consisting of two new tracks, backed with an instrumental and acappella. The titular track sounds like a haunted breaks dubplate played on a slow speed turntable. "Carhole" feels more witchhouse'y, both when it comes to its tempo and synth use, and this one really resonates with me.

Grab it here, and stream all the tracks below.

Vidchajj - Heavy Rain

"Heavy Rain" marks the return of Vidchajj after a long while of sonic silence. Phonked out hip-hop beat with some ominous witchy bass in the background, juicy as hell.

As Valet - Way Out "Inspiration Mix"

As Valet posted new mixtape on his Soundcloud, promoting his freshly released album "Way Out" recorded in collaboration with singer So-li. The "Inspiration Mix" is a mellow selection of library, jazz, ambient and leftfield beats. Very cool. Stream here.

Montoya - Don't Wanna Know 2

Witch house / emo rap from Montoya, one of my fav artists of 2023. Great track and iconic production style, can't ask for more. Download here.

Skemer - Out Of Favor // video

Video single from darkwave/dark electro band Skemer, promoring their upcoming album "Toasts & Sentiments" due November 17th via Avant! Records. Skemer is a Belgian duo consisting of singer Kim Peers and guitarist Mathieu Vandekerckhove (also member of Amenra).

Pale Palace - Life Deluxe

New instrumental mixtape dropped from the one and only Pale Palace. "Life Deluxe" consists of 11 juicy beats, majority unreleased. You can download the whole thing directly from Soundcloud here.

Voodoo Crystals - I Love You

Off to Bandcamp folks, because Adam released a special "Hollowqueen" EP for this year's spooky season. Combining elements of synthpunk, industrial and shoegazed witchhouse, "I Love You" EP sounds like nothing else that's out there right now, further cementing VC's position as a truly original figure on the grave wave scene.

Download it for free here (but please donate if you can) and stream down below.

Sofia Reta - Brand New Pulse

Sofia Reta travels six feet deep into the world of underground club raves, warehouse parties and inevitable returns on his latest LP "Brand New Pulse". I've featured the excellent opening track "Malice [File 03:// Sigil]: Gravequake" a few weeks ago, hoping back then that we will see it available beyond Soundcloud in one way or another, and this does not disappoint. The first half of the album makes me want to dress in black and raid an empty local warehouse to throw a rave, while the other half takes the foot off the gas and transports the listener to a more tranquil spot, with Xavier's songwriting resembling some of his earlier works. There are glimmers of avant-pop, dreamy acoustic ambience, droney bass music and celestial synths - almost like a comedown after the club tracks. My only negative comment would be about the location of the second song "Alchemist Filetype: Ride Em!" - which, while an excellent funky jam, does not fit being wedged between two powerful techno joints.

Cop the album here, and stream after the jump.

Cándido - La Muerte De Occidente

Cándido is an alias of Luis Schiebelers, musician and producer based in Buenos Aires who sharpened his teeth playing in the 90s punk bands Confort Supremo and Bhakti before moving onto electronic underground scene with synths and drum machines. Here is his latest album "La Muerte De Occidente", which sort of came out of nowhere and blew me away straight away. Released by the boundary-pushing label Natural Sciences, the album consists of eight dancefloor-ready jakbeat, EBM, new beat and house bangers. The production here is crisp as hell and will make you want to move to those beats, Buenos Aires must be burning right now. I know it just came out but it's already one of my fav albums of the year.

Order a copy here, and stream below.