STRFLL - Goodbye

We're ending the year with a dope mixtape from STRFLL. Featuring Hater4e, Salem, Three Wishes, Dirtr4t, D040 and loads more. Thank you for lurking here, watch out for new year (including an interview with STRFLL himself). Grab the mix here.

Mater Suspiria Vision - Hotel Trancesylvania

The latest release from Mater Suspiria Vision "Hotel Trancesylvania" landed in my mailbox many moons ago, but for some reason I've delayed this review for months. Since I got it, the album has been on constant replay. I actually loved it so much I managed to get MSV agree to let me release it via Dagger Forest on tape, complete with bonus tracks and remixes. Phantasma Disques obviously did a CDR version too. In my opinion, it's their finest record in years, bridging the gap between their original DIY production style and contemporary experimentation. Hypnagogic drones set the stage for layers of eerie synths and haunting ambience, complemented by ghostly vocals from Æchidna Morgan Kamen and trippy contributions from Shazzula. The latter's input to the LP proves how much chemistry and mutual understanding is between her and Cosmotropia de Xam, which leaves me yearning for a potential Shazzula/MSV album. Tracks like "Power Of Intensity" or "Crawler's Revenge" pay homage to the Disaro days, without sounding derivative or trying to resurrect a bygone era. On the contrary, they cement the band's legacy as an underground tour-de-force and originator. Ultimately the album is a thrilling and wholly immersive journey into the world of one of the most innovative artists of the post-internet era.

Order the CD here, tape here and stream the whole album below.

V.A. - The Explicit Name = ה​ש​ם ה​מ​פ​ו​ר​ש

Short but excellent compilation of japanese witch-leaning underground, released by ㆟体発火 (Body Ignition) with the incredible artwork done by the ever-amazing Mako from 1797071. Mellow hip-hop and phonk beats from Wetssid, spooky witch tunes from 1797071, dancehall drag from Ψυχή and hypnagogic ambient from Yako Kana. Great stuff all around. It's released in digital format only, but if you want to treat yourself it also comes in a package with a branded lighter housed in a heart-shaped case.

Grab it here, stream below.

Sona Nyl - Chroniques De Vampires, Vourdalaks Et Autres Non​-​morts

Sona Nyl is one of many aliases of French composer and sound designer Ludovic Leprêtre. His latest album "Chroniques De Vampires, Vourdalaks Et Autres Non-morts" dropped a couple of weeks ago via DMP on tape and as a free digital download. Eerie synth explorations for all the library music freaks and ghouls. Fans of spooky ambient, dungeon synth minimalism and cinematic drones will find themselves at home here. If Finders Keepers, Mondo or Folklore Tapes ring a bell, this one's for you.

Grab the super-limited tapes here, and stream the LP below.

Umbra Abra - Priestess Of The Vine

I discovered Umbra Abra thanks to E_DEATH who recommended them during our interview. "Priestess Of The Vine" seems to be their first miscellaneous release (EP in length, but as per Bandcamp description a collection of random tracks). Its sounds sits somewhere between more club-friendly take on deconstructed club and injected with a good dose of hyperpop shenanigans. "Crone" on top of that has some dungeon synth elements too. One to watch.

Download the release here, and stream after the jump.

Monomorte - The Wiccan (Alt Versions)

Blink-and-you-miss-it release from Monomorte, available only until January 1st, 2024. Four tracks that form "The Wiccan (Alt Versions)" were sourced from the recording sessions for Monomorte's incredible "The Wiccan". This new release gives us a glimpse into the process of the artist as well as shares some unused tracks from that period.

Get the record here, it won't last long.

Kuroi Ame - Sacred Era: Alt Versions, B Sides and Rarities Collection

Kuroi Ame's "Sacred" album is one of the highlights of the dreampunk genre. Released in 2018 by Pure Life, it's been on a stready rotation in my speakers, so it's a nice surprise to hear this B-sides album that collects all the rare fragments scattered around during the composition of the original record. Minimal, fragile and intriguing, a great entrée to the full-length main course.

Buy the album here, and check it out in full below.

Pale Palace - Boy

Pale Palace flipped Chief Keef's "War" vocals and made it his own. Brilliant. Download here.

Blvck Ceiling - We Hear Voices

Short but juicy hip-hop/witch house single "We Hear Voices" from Blvck Ceiling, was released for the Xmas season for all the horned listeners. Cop it here.

Jessie Berkshires - Testify // video

"Testify" is the new single from Detroit-based vocalist, songwriter, and visual artist Jessie Berkshires. The video for this catchy dark synth / synth-pop jam was self-produced and directed by Jesse. Check out her Soundcloud for more tunes, hopefully there'll be Bandcamp soon too.

Mater Suspiria Visioin - Crawler's Revenge // video

Third single promoting MSV's album "Hotel Trancesylvania". The album will see a cassette release with a bunch of bonus remixes on Dagger Forest on December 29th - 14th anniversary of the creation of MSV.

Mutant Zones interview: E_Death

Here's a special in-depth interview with one and only Salem Anhedonia aka E_DEATH / Edith Underground. Her music and visuals should be familiar to anyone reading this blog, I've been championing her creative outputs for many years now, and it makes me happy to see her grow as an artist and keep gaining new fans. Enjoy the read, and make sure to follow Salem on Bandcamp where you can also buy her music, as well as on Youtube where she posts her videos and vlogs.

Inès Cherifi - Fountains

Inès Cherifi is a composer and producer based in Paris who debuted last month on newly minted label Færies Records with her EP "Fountains". Beautiful, modern fusion of post-deco club sounds, ethereal vocals and ambient soundscapes.

Buy the EP here, and stream below.

Monomorte - We Are Desire

"We Are Desire" is the final single from the upcoming Monomorte album "Sink/Swim" due anytime now. Featuring vocals from Neon Impossible, the track is leaning towards electronic industrial sound, that's destined for the clubs. Grab the song here.

Dust Magnetic - Dust Magnetic

Dust Magnetic is like the 100th alias of Canadian producer and experimentalist Scott Johnson aka Thoughts On Air. A central figure during the tape revival of the late 2000s, on this self-titled album for Moonside Tapes, Scott plays with tape loops and electroacoustic techniques creating an album filled with warped ambient that's scattered with hard-to-pin found sounds, all circling around the mini-universe of dusty noise.

Nexus_0 - Don't Play

Nexus_0 is a techno punk trio from London. Describing themselves as "queer-led future facing punk band", their first single-proper comes in a form of a 5 minute long banger that ignores all the genre rules and mashes everything it can find on its way into a power cocktail. Very rad stuff, cannot wait to hear more. Buy it here.

Montoya - Konec

Witchgazer joint "Konec" from Montoya landed on Bandcamp a few days ago, and it's a moody one. Makes me think of HeveN's album "Angel", with its melancholic beat. Cop it here.

Sniper Bait - Pepcon Steel Drums, Henderson NV.

"Pepcon Steel Drums, Henderson NV." is the latest EP from Sniper Bait, a gritty four track project inspired by the events of Pepcond disaster from the 1980s that happened near Las Vegas. Stream only so far, check it out here.

nevada_jerky_gurl23 - Extraction

"Extraction" by NJG is his latest cut lifted off Natural Sciences' "Future Works VII" compilation, that announces/promotes artists that will appear on their upcoming projects. The track in question is an almost 6-minute long cyberpunk hip-hop instrumental, that's been injected with some witchy influences here and there. Makes me think of Ourobonic Plague's works, so if you're down with that futuristic beatmaking, this one's for you. Check it out here.

STRFLL - Was It All Worth It

"Was It All Worth It" is a 28 minute-long mix of dragged out demos from STRFLL's unreleased catalogue, noisy, gritty, screwed and witch'd out music for midnight marauders and basement rats. Fucking awesome. Download here.

Dirtr4t & Heartcoregirl - Stay Awake

Mesmerizing new single from Stay Healthy's Dirtr4t and vocalist Heartcoregirl. I keep my fingers crossed this is not their last collab, because the chemistry is perfect here. Stream here.

Vidchajj - Sores

Sadcorewitch remix of Bones' track "TopTenGardeningSecrets" by Vidchajj, that also samples one of SALEM's unreleased nugggets "$0RE$". The production on this flip is so much better though, well worth a listen. Steam here.

TR/ST - Robrash

After 4 years of touring, Robert Alfons is back in the studio to work on his fifth album that will most likely see the light of the day in 2024. Dais Records is the label that will handle it, so my guess is we will see endless colour version of it, but what matters is music, and the music we have is brilliant. "Robrash" is the new single promoting the upcoming LP, it can be purchased, alongside the instrumental version, here.

Gift Exchange - Fall Into Streams

Sick new single from GE, somewhere between Crystal Castles, Crim3s and White Ring. Grab it here.

Chayn Sloth - Spring (Juniper + Väsnet + Axuhl)

Team Sweden is back in full force on this collaborative track from Chayn Sloth, Zouls, Axuhl and Pale Palace. Banging track, even though I don't understand a word. PP of course commited the beat.

Maurr - Flores Feias

"Flores Feias" is the first single from Maurr's upcoming album. Dude's been on the roll lately, I've been diggin majority of his output, and there's no difference here - sick, minimal EBM/dark electro beat will easily consume your attention after you hit play. Grab it here.

E_Death - Sonic Select_10

E_Death is back in her chaotic mode and commited this mixtape for All Butter Radio. No rules, loads of remixes and edits by E/D, all jams. Stream here.

Tetsüo ii - !!

The cosmic cruisers Tetsüo ii are back with a new album, following their spaced out debut tape on Dagger Forest earlier in the Summer. "!!" picks up the mood where the self-titled LP left off, at the end of the galaxy, slowly drifting towards the unknown. It does, however, feel less dark in its tone, and occasionally even more melodic, especially on tracks that feature T Taylor on flute. Wonderful follow up.

Get the album here, and stream it below.

Robot Koch - Sleep EP

"Sleep EP" is actually a collection of Koch's singles he released in 2023, all nicely packed into a four track package. Leftfield electronica and smooth downtempo beats will soothe you after a gloomy day. Very cinematic vibe throughout, this guy should score a movie already.

Buy the EP here and check it in full after the jump.

Pharmacist - Pallor // video

Bonus track from Pharmacist's incredible collab tape with Three Wishes on Dagger Forest. Sick!

Maelstrom & Louisahhh - I'm A Whip

"I'm A Whip" is the first single from the second collaborative album between Louisahhh and Maelstrom "May the Rage Burn a Path For Joy". Recorded in cooperation with Brodinski, the track is a curious mash-up of ballroom, acid and deco-techno. "Fan The Flame (Mickey Nox Remix)" is on the noisier, more industrial side of tekkno. It's good, but side A really made me feel like I'm listening to something fresh here. Cop the single here.

Heygate - Outfield

Heygate is an electronic producer based in LA, who every now and then has been uploading singles to Bandcamp. His latest track "Outfield" channels post-2010 witch house era, contrasting an ethereal, almost ghost-like drone background with minimal IDM drum patterns. The effect reminds me of a crossover between the stuff Nattymari used to do with dark ambient atmospheres of I††. Grab the track here.

V.A. - Feral Horror Sounds Volume 1

Feral is a comic book founded by illustrator Ömer Yalinkilic in 2020. He's collaborated extensively over the last few years with Mater Suspiria Vision, drawing from their expanded universe, so it's no surprise that the group is also one of the featured artists on this new 10" vinyl record released by the publisher. "Feral Horror Sounds Volume 1" is a mini-album divided into crypt side, dedicated to rockabilly and surf rock (Messer Chups, The Real Deal, Dave Phillips, The Blue Velvets, The Go Devils), and bloody side, which includes an exclusive, 10-minute long track from MSV + their recent single "Dracula" from "Hotel Trancesylvania". Check out the preview above and order the record here.

Ronce - Cr​è​ve

Dawn Records tagged this album on bandcamp "gore asmr" and I think that's a perfect way to describe this record. Zoë Villerd's experimental output Ronce has been a regular at Dawn, and this is her third project for the label. "Crève" is like a walking through a mental hospital corridor at night, and dragging a knife across the walls as you move along. Tense, unnerving and alluring at the same time, with some of the most unique voice featurings I've heard all year. Good night.

Grab the digital here, and stream in full below.

Pharmacist + Three Wishes - Maelstrom (Stay Healthy Remix)

Perfect remix of a perfect track right here, Stay Healthy delivered something special for the Pharmacist and Three Wishes' tape. Their version of "Maelstrom" sits somewhere between a cover and a remix, altering the original's DNA and creating a tribute of sorts. Beautiful. Grab the tapes here.

Three new tapes from Dagger Forest

Grab them here.

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.