"Another Heaven" is the second single from the upcoming, fourth full-length from Curses, scheduled for the third quarter of 2024 via Italians Do it Better. The titular track is more pop-leaning than its predecessor "Elegant Death", but in no shape or form it means it's bad - on the contrary, I actually love it to bits, melodic and catchy new wave anthem. Stream here.
Here's a brand new, half an hour long mix of demo beats made by Kutz over the course of past month for his Digital Transit Blackout Series. Smoked up dopeness as usual. Buy and support here.
Abstract grime is a thing apparently, and if "SB 1 3" is supposed to be a representative track for this sound I'm all for it. Black Fondu is a rapper and producer from London who's been grinding hard on the capital's music scene for a while now. "SB 1 3" is his new single that dropped just moments ago, and what an amazing sonic ride it is. Future beats in the vain of early Fly Lo and AFTA-1 go incredibly well with the raw rap delivery from BF. Ace. Download for free here, Fondu has a tendency to delete stuff from Bandcamp so blink and you miss it.
Fat Concubine is part of the new wave of London-based bands (also see Nexus_0) that decided to rip up music categories and play pure energy that is best experienced live. Channelling punk ethos through electronic beats that sit somewhere between industrial, dark techno and EBM, the band's new single "Mad Man" sounds like a decent soundtrack for punching fascists. We gotta burn tonight. Get it here.
Active since the 80s, Anna Öberg is a composer and musician based in Helsingborg, Sweden. "Säg Det Igen" is her latest single ushering the upcoming album "Sin" (scheduled to be released 7 June 2024). It's a wonderfully playful pop song, produced by Anna and Charles Storm, oozing with this unique Scandinavian spirit that's so distinct for the region yet hard to replicate elsewhere. Fans of debut albums by Fever Ray and Lykke Li should check this one out for sure. Get the track here.
Samu Hietainen is a composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer from Finland. His agency has been sharing with me his tracks over the last few months, but somehow those emails slipped through my cracks. "Aphelia" is the first track that really caught my attention, a droning chant music that sounds like something played during a sky burial from a monastery somewhere up in the Himalayas. Minimal yet captivating songwriting, however the song begs to be a little bit longer. Get the single here.
Brand-new EP from Vidchajj has landed in my mailbox and I am beyond stoked to share it. "Nobody" was released by Vertigo Cult, and features five screwgaze anthems that showcase Oleksandr's incredible sense of crafting melodies while staying deeply rooted in underground culture. Echos of Salem and Wiicca resonate through those tracks, yet Vidchajj carves out his own niche, especially evident when he raps and sings (!). Check "Untitled" for the latter - it is just amazing with his ethereal crooning contrasted with grainy bassline, guitar strumming and slow hi-hats. The EP features two covers: "Arachnid", written by Slutty Sonny, here transformed into an unrecognisable and but vastly improved witch house version, and "Baby Boi", a classic Salem joint that got a serious facelift from Vidchajj and pales the original. Absolutely aced. GET IT!
"Nobody" is out now on Vertigo Cult and can be downloaded here. Stream the whole project below.
Second single from Make Tears promoting the upcoming new album "Paradísco". The band is now a quartet, still led by Edward, but looks like Frank Shark is gone. "Talk To Me" is 100% cheesy italo-synthpop cheesiness. Enjoy!
Ultrademon's sonic journey has been one to remember, from the pioneering seapunk genre to this surprise new album "Crone", that sounds like a blackened electronic experimental LP from hell. It's a daring collage of abstract, glitched out sounds and post-hyperpop vocal maneuvers that will make you stop and re-analyse what you just heard every now and then. This one may be a tough nut for some to digest at first, but give a chance it's a fun project that needs dedicated space and time to appreciate it fully (at least in my case).
Support Ultrademon by buying the album here, stream below.
Pale Palace's "Juugs On The Highway" gets a video treatment from Weird Daze. Lifted from the most recent EP "Breathe In The Air", the clip is an ode to bike stunts and pale horses. Get the EP here.
Sick new song and video from Montoya, on a sample from Sybyr's "I Wanted To Die". Grab the DL here.
STRFLL is easily one of the most exciting new (witch) wave producers out there right now. Watching his progress from the 2022 "Insanity Era" tapes to his totally radical (and ongoing) "Was It All Worth It" series has been rewarding as hell, so it's an absolute pleasure to interview him for Mutant Zones. We dive deep into his creative upbringing and current influences, as well as discuss the upcoming album and plans for the future. On top of all that, STRFLL has made us an exclusive mixtape entitled "Southern /Dis/comfort", it will melt your face, it's that good! You can stream it below and download it directly from our new Soundcloud page. Strap in and enjoy!
Ethereal witch house from DesireLust, this one may hit some unreachable zones of your psyche when listened to with closed eyes. Out on Séance SC channel, stream here.
New single from the recently ressurected project Hooded Leaders, promoting their upcoming EP "Club Séance". Witch-trap beat with some ballroom motifs, banger thru and thru. Stream here.
Released alongside the announcement of the upcoming EU tour, Robert Alfons' new single "Soon" is a new wave/synth pop bliss. Co-produced by Nightfeelings. Buy/stream here.
"...mÿ pe@ce i 1eave y#u" is the new album/compilation from the one and only Chris Laufman. Collecting a string of his recent singles into one package, and adding on top a number of new cuts, the project is yet another proof of his brilliant songwriting and skillful melody-crafting.
Buy the album for $1 here, and stream it down below.
This new collab between Promiseland and Pictureplane gives me 90s hip-hop vibes, pretty amazing single, been on reply all day today. The video was directed and edited by Promiseland himself, respect. Grab the single from Travis' bandcamp.
First EP from French hard tekno producer Deti Khaosa brings to the table some unexpected matchups. "Dies Irae" kicks off with dry beats occasionally spiced with sounds of blades hitting each other, before morphing into a choral composition that honestly feels like it was lifted from some late 90s/early 2000s era religious sci-fi action movie. "Funebre" (which means funeral in French) is indeed a funeral anthem for all the raving hearse drivers and cremation technicians out there, flipping a sample of Chopin's "Piano Sonata No. 2" and pairing it with pulsing drums. Bonkers.
Grab the release here, and stream after the jump.
"Ache" is the second semi-official single from the upcoming STRFLL album, originally premiered on the third installment of the "Was It All Worth It" series. Semi, because it's a slowed down version in the vein of dragged remixes, burried under the rubble of drone'y noise and unholy synths. The original edit will be on the upcoming full-length. Stream here.
After dropping my fav mixtape of 2023, Pale Palace is back with a fresh new EP "Breathe In The Air", premiered earlier today by Vertigo Cult. Operating in the ethereal space between witch house and hip-hop beats, Pale manages to consistenly produce tracks that are different than anything else out there. Case in point "Valkyrie" - it's a phonk track at heart but draped in a Swedish flag and with some youthful flair. I'm super stoked for him and the Isolation Cult team. This EP is sick, get it!
Get the EP here, stream below.
"Aton" is the debut release from a cryptic producer that goes by Fear of. Released a couple of weeks ago via Vertigo Cult, it's an EP from the beyond of this earthly realm, hovering between subtle noise-pop and grainy textures that bend the perception of what a pop record should be. In a way it's a witch house project at hear, mysterious, slightly spooky and uneasy, but also oddly familiar. Love it, and I'm glad there are artists who are willing to take risks like this. One for the fans of early How To Dress Well demos.
Download for free from Vertigo Cult bandcamp here, stream down below.
Grainy tonal shifts and vocal ambient hums come from this new signee to Psychic Liberation, Drumloop (Daffy Scanlan). Co-released by Industrial Coast, "Limiting Mindset" is a trip into the world of night-lit field recordings and atmospheric synthesizers, paired with distant, half sung/half whispered vocals. Late evening noir music.
You can grab the vinyl here, and stream the LP below.
After a string of digital singles, a compilation tape and my personal EP of the year, Pharmacist has unleashed his debut album a couple of weeks ago via his newly minted Yearning label. "Kill Everyone Now" consists of 15 tracks (four exclusive to the CD version) that continue Collin's incredible, genre-pushing streak. His music distills traces of bewitching downergaze ("Fluorine" and "Hypothermia"), desolate soundscapes ("Crusade" and "Black Day") and minimal synth ("Filth") into a witch-house ectoplasm that will slowly seep from your speakers. Add to that the bittersweet and hypnotising crooning that makes Pharmacist's style so unique, and the result is nothing short of extraordinary. "If You Get Lost on the Way" will probably end up being my fav track of the year. Support!
Buy the CD here, and stream the whole album below.
Volunteer Coroner is an ambient/drone/noise alias of Denver based musician Preston Weippert, who also runs Trust Collective label. I've literally discovered his music today and I'm obsessed already, incredible, texture-rich and melody-driven soundscapes. "Forever In Blood" is his most recent project, released on TC in February last year. Sounds evoking impending doom and post-apocalyptic calmness blend and mix into a captivating listening exprience. Wonderful stuff.
Get the download here, stream below.
New gem just landed on Team Sweden soundcloud page, Pale Palace remix of A$AP Rocky's "Lvl". Stream and download here.
Synth noise transformations and mutations from Marion Camy-Palou aka Deeat Palace. Released on French label Erratum Musical, "Pieces Pour Serge" consists of two suites bubbling with gritty noise textures dedicated to the Serge Modular System.
Get the LP here, and stream it below.
Vertigo Cult's new EP is the witch house-fuelled, noirsynth introvert cousin of the "Drive" OST. "Nightfolk" is the debut release from Banal Minutiae (Eric Mitchell), West Des Moines-based synth music producer, who also once went by The Jilted. This four-track dark synthwave capsule is a captivating journey into the world of dark alleys, ominous encounters and shady characters. BM knows how to compose captivating melodies and build up the mood, keeping the listener hooked and curious throughout his fairly long compositions. Brilliant stuff.
Download the EP for free here, and stream it in full below.
Thoed single and video from Pale Palace, hip-hop infused witch house banger.
Sofia Reta never disappoints, half-club half-amazing. So many micro genres squeezed here, and the song manages to sound both familiar and unique. Gives me serious San Junipero vibes. Stream here.
New cut from Three Wishes, incredible stuff, the vocals and guitar work is perfect. Stream here.
Latest single from the new Pharmacist album (review coming up soon!). Created by Owen Blodgett. Jam!.
This latest (mini) album from Blvck Ceiling was mailed out with a comment that said: "My favorite project of mine to date. A moment of clarity, I suppose". So I had to check it. The result is okay I guess, for your average Soundcloud producer this would be a rad project to put out, but Dan has set his own bar high up.
Buy the album here, and stream it below.
