SKREEN B BLOG

Lifted from Plaatwerk 's recently released album, II, this is Winterdip . A gentle, gliding piece with a relaxing and thoughtful tone. The instrumental wins with its simple melodic appeal, reminding me of the Japan classic The Experience Of Swimming. Maybe that's just me putting a couple of fine strokes together to make a pleasurable pool of sound? Whatever the reason, this is certainly worth a plunge. Plaatwerk's album is available from the Geertruida record label. II by Plaatwerk

Hot on the heels of her previous release, Meine Tarar, comes SWOOSH the new recording from Swedish enigma  Desideria . This time the feeling is extremely textural and placid, with layers of vocals and minimal instrumentation conveying words of intrigue such as "My spine is a hundred feet over the ocean. The pain is teaching me about the pleasurable things. The love is constantly expanding I am open. You are right underneath me flying". The song is conveying "the sensation of falling in love, being suspended in the air, a hundred feet above the ground". Interestingly, the backing is, at times, quite brooding; this feeling of love comes with a caveat, there seem to be some black clouds rumbling over the horizon to disrupt those blue, halcyon skies. Another top experimental tune, well worth a listen.

Coming from Scandinavia you would expect something serene and polite, but Swedish noise-act, Strålskyddsinstitutet , throw all those stereotypes into the dumper and then seemingly gob on them (and that's me choosing the polite option). With their new track, Wasteland , it is as if the forests have been cleared and the brutalists have moved in. High-octane and frenzied, the band attack your ears with jack-hammers rather than feathers, only pausing momentarily to offer you some "radiation-free reindeer steaks". This is wonderful music vandalism with a cockeyed laugh. Great fun.

Blog favourite Staytus has just released a new single called Suburban Gothic , a track "inspired by the movie of the same name and its dark, surreal humor". The song is a twisted electro-gothic recording full of potency and barbs with words that "reflect themes of paranoia, fear, and confronting the things that haunt us—whether they’re real or in our heads. It’s about finding the strength to move forward, even when the past tries to pull you back". To learn more about Staytus you can read an interview I did with her here , you can also watch the video for the single below. Enjoy! 

Time to move back into the musical darkness with  Celestial Hex , their latest single The Hunger bites from the very beginning with a killer synth line which really pulses through your veins. Just that element is infectious enough, but then the sensual vocals acts like a silver bullet aimed straight at your heart. The recording is a superb mix of electro, roaming guitars and lusty vampires. The band say they are "Always looking for love and blood", let's just say, on this evidence, they should get a lot of love from the darkwave fans out there. Taken from their forthcoming album, Nightshades, this single should give you an appetite to hear more.

Martin Martyn is a new project comprising of Hideyuki Hashimoto and Yuri Kawai. As can be heard on oden from their new EP 'X', the duo mix electronic sounds with piano, using muted beats to create a warmer, immersive approach. The gentle and delicate production provides an enjoyable, stress-free experience which washes over the listener rather than punching too hard. The video for the instrumental shows the band playing their synths on a rocky hill-top; that, quite literally, seems to represent the balance between technology and nature in their recordings. Be sure to check them out.

Prey is the latest single from Ceremony Shadows and for me it is a real return to form as they have really harnessed their darkwave, electronic roots with a simpler, more ear-catching arrangement. Sitting somewhere between Propaganda and SPK, the song uses the best elements of the band's sound, providing a stronger structure for them to interplay with their vocals. Much like the cover artwork, there's plenty of flesh to the bones. Put your hands together for Prey.

Liminal Shade are back with a new single called Fruta Prohibida , a song which simply oozes with style. At the core lies Mar Boreal's succulent vocals, switching between Spanish and English, the approach provides an exotic flavour to accompany the darker, gothic textures of the instrumentation. Fruta Prohibida is an alluring track with a cinematic elegance, scrumptious but with a slightly sinister after-taste. Yum!

From the act with the most shoegaze-worthy band name ever, this is Glazyhaze and their new single Nirvana . Like their last single, Forgive Me , there is real quality in the songwriting and production. The song title suggests it might be a high-powered romp into grunge territory, but quite the opposite is true. Nirvana is a breezy, floaty tune with more than a touch of the Sundays in the guitars. When the band are making music like this, as in their own words: "It is so hard to walk away". Top tune, watch the super video below.

I like cats. I like electronic music to sound electronic. I like oddness.  Toubourra 's latest release, Bitch , ticks all the boxes. Direct and lyrically to the point, the DIY electro sound with a trance-like, one-word mantra won me over. Then there's the video, an off-kilter homemade, documentary movie with a foot-stomping end. A real head-scratcher. Job done. Purr-fect.

Released on Valentine's Day, Beacon is the new track by Austin's  The Unlimited Stars . Quite fitting, as I tend to love the band's material and, with this, the flame in our relationship continues to burn strong. The song is a brooding and expansive piece about "being mentally ill but having a friend /lover (beacon/light) to talk you through the bad times". Musically, the feel is quite subdued but captivating, with a tremendous bassline rumbling elastically beneath Bre MacKenzie's expressive vocals. With great lyrics throughout, the push towards the end is a joyous burst of guitar which touches on shoegaze territory. So, yes, take this as a glowing review for another terrific recording.

With Desideria 's latest release, Meine Tarar , there is something wonderfully charismatic to carry you through the stark, experimental nature of the piece. The synths might bubble and pulse like the sounds of apparatus in a dysfunctional laboratory, but Desideria's vocals provide a reassuring presence with the  intimate and emotive chant of "meine tarar" (my tears). Singing in the near-forgotten language of Guthnic, which originates from her Gotlandic island home, the vocalisation provides the colour and warmth to the sparse and abstract instrumentation. A cool single - give it a listen.

I have been a fan of Austin-based act, The Unlimited Stars , for a few years now. In fairly recent times, they have undergone a line-up change and that seems to have rejuvenated them somewhat. The last time they pleasured me was last year with their take on the Bauhaus classic, Bela Lugosi's Dead. However, for 2025, the band apparently have a few, new self-penned tracks under their bat-like wings to release to the world. Don't get me wrong, they are not an out and out goth act, but they do tend to lean towards the dark and gritty side of alternative rock. With their latest single, A New Life , they slip into a slightly more melancholic tone with a song "written for young women about to leave home and find themselves". The recording is mature and sophisticated, but still incorporates the raw, destructively melodic appeal the band have always presented. Watch the video below.

From Venice, the Italian city of canals, come Glazyhaze , a four-piece shoegaze act comprising of Irene (vocals/guitar), Lorenzo (lead guitar), Francesco (drums) and Vsevolod (bass). With all that water and architecture around, it is hardly surprising that the band are excelling in the art of creating superlatively floaty music with a magical sense of style. Forgive Me , the second single taken from their forthcoming album, Sonic, shines and shimmers much like the romantic sunlight rippling on the waterways between the Venetian islands. The band say the song "captures the deep pain that comes with the realization that the person you love is not meant to stay forever. It’s a raw journey through the delicate balance between holding on, letting go, and leaving a glimmer, an open door, to a timeless love". The ballad is a sparkling recording with Irene's evocative lead vocal showing just how beautiful a tale of sadness can be. A simply lush song from a band with possibly the ...

Coming out of Chicago with a valiant degree of leftfield style are Kaput and their latest tune called Sucker . As with most acts freeing themselves from the shackles of genre, they describe themselves with a multitude of virgules; namely Post Punk/Art Rock/No Wave. In truth, as the band seem to be suggesting, anyone listening to Kaput should ignore any labelling and simply soak in the sound. The track is a dynamic, crunching two and a half minute romp, which the band say is "about the pressures of other people’s expectations and a constantly moving goal line. Fed up and unwilling to cooperate, Sucker pummels and crashes through leaving nothing in its path". As a gritty, beat-driven sonic blast, Kaput have produced a recording which sticks to you and doesn't let go. Well worth a plunge.   

Looming in the darkness with their latest release called  Sturm der Schatten (which translates as "Storm of Shadows"), German metal act  ANTONOW has gone beyond the usual trappings of the genre to create a song which should appeal to a wider audience. The arrangement is highly accomplished with a real sense of drama working alongside the heavier, rock elements. The overall balance between aggression and thoughtfulness is well executed, with operatic tones and a strong and powerful German language vocal taking the listener into a distinctly gothic wilderness. Not bad for only the act's second song - watch the video below.

nyxotype 's latest release  Kaa provides an extremely sensual listen with an alluring spoken word monologue perfectly entwined with delicate, tonal electronics. The recording slithers along with mesmerising simplicity, the percussive elements creating a trance-like spine to the watery and veiled backdrop. Slinky and sinister, the piece is a great addition to the German artist's repertoire. For the full sonic experience, I would highly recommend listening to this under headphones.

Happy New Year everyone! I thought that I would start 2025 with a delightful slab of th3 L3p3rs ' dark electro-pop. On their latest release Neon Demon , the Austin-based band have brightened the post-festive gloom with a song which has obviously been lovingly crafted. Incorporating some classic synth tones and spiralling guitars, it is, as the lyrics suggest, a "beauty wrapped in dark sin". A neat recording which should appeal to the dark wave community and a pretty good hint at what might be coming along on the band's forthcoming album Tragic Blondes. Watch the video below.

I am ending the year with a track from the intriguing world of  Hildegarde , one of those new wave of acts morphing fairytale themes with more troubling undertones. I suppose, very much like a contemporary musical twist on the Brothers Grimm, where beneath the sugary sparkle, there sometimes sits a body of decay or dysfunction. Taken from a forthcoming EP about survival, Hildegarde's lastest single is called Megatron , and it is a mangled layering of textures with a definite experimental approach. The piece has a somewhat tormented vocal element at the core ( "Tried to save myself,  But myself keeps slipping away from me, Tried to kill myself, But myself keeps slippin away from me" ), but also draws on influences from industrial and cinematic fields. The song is about "the loop of an internal debate when you don't know if you should just give up on life or if you better should keep on going and take care of yourself through every piece of light and hope coming to...

This is certainly the first time I have featured a track from Yemen, but there is a spirited oddness in the combination of Krautrock and Arabic influences in Miss Ballad by Yemen Blues . That is further helped by the wonderfully quirky video which accompanies the release. Once again, due to my ignorance, I have no idea what lyrics are being sung, but the band have created a bright and interesting recording with universal hooks. Watch the video and enjoy something just a little different from the norm. Let me know, if you can unlock the meaning to it all!

One of my old goth compilation series was called Into The Dark, so this debut release by German act EKLAT would have been a perfect fit. There is no denying that the track is heavily influenced by the Cure's early works, but EKLAT have created a song which underpins that legacy at a time when Robert Smith et al are truly back on the radar. As a whole, Into The Dark gets the balance right, the sound is retro but the band remember that the tune is as important as the styling, making this release a pleasing listen. Certainly one for the gloomy goths out there...in the dark. 

The London-based outfit ZELT have a great new track out called  Ayva Çiçek Açmış and probably, like me, the title means nothing to you. Resisting temptation, I am not going to attempt a translation until the end of this review (building the jeopardy!). The song is a re-working of a traditional Turkish tune, using a hybrid of electro, rock and Turkish vocals. That would usually result in a cheesy Eurovision vibe, but thankfully ZELT have attacked the piece with subtlety and finesse, making this more of a leftfield ear-worm, something more indie than pop. Good job. Now for the title reveal.... Quince in Flower. Pretty and good!

Hello1103 are a Tokyo-based electronic music duo consisting of a Katsuhiro Hitomi (Trackmaster / Engineer) and Yukako (Vocals/VJ). Their latest release  Billion Balances provides an interesting listen with a combination of ethereal vocals, grinding rhythms and pseudo-industrial flourishes. The whole piece has more of a live performance art feel to it and that is reflected in the band's approach of presenting their recordings "with visuals that depict subconscious imagery, creating an extraordinary space". If you are into experimental electronica it is well worth a listen, the track is taken from Hello1103's new album, also called Billion Balances . Watch the video below for an insight.

There's no disputing that the delightfully titled So Fucked by Brooklyn-based band Stripes harks back to the golden era of indie rock. The song incorporates that enjoyable feeling of energy and lethargy, nailing the driving guitar and percussive parts onto the backboard of Izzy MK's exhorting vocals. Stripes say the song is "all about laughing through the pain. When things go wrong, I can't help but find it funny even when you feel like the situation is 'so fucked'. When you embrace the feeling that nothing is going to go the way you planned, you're free". A good track for the car stereo, well worth a listen and nothing as vulgar as the title might suggest.

As the 20th anniversary of DJ, John Peel's death passes, I thought that Prison 2024 , the latest track by high-octane, tongue-in-cheek, agitators Gender Reveal Atomic Bomb , would be a worthy flag-waver to carry his legacy on for another year. The recording is a full-on attack on a certain American ex-President (let's hope it stays that way) and with the subtlety of someone hammering nails into your skull with a piledriver, the band have once again accomplished their goal and some. If John was still around, he'd be 85 now and I'm sure you would be hearing this track drifting across the fields from his Suffolk home. Feisty, fierce and also wonderfully off-the-wall. Go grab 'em!