SKREEN B BLOG

As many of you will know, I am always looking out for oddball Japanese acts - the kind that make you question your reality, your taste in music, and occasionally your digestive system. So when I heard Japanese duo XAMIYA were dropping their food-related fifth single, 'GG', I picked up my knife and fork (I'm rubbish with chopsticks) and braced for impact. XAMIYA, aka KAMIYA and XANSEI, blend Alternative/Indie Rock, UK Garage, Drum & Bass and French House like a Tokyo vending machine that dispenses anything from emergency undercrackers to luminous drinks. Their sound is steeped in Japan’s street culture, but it’s also something entirely new - at times seeming like Harajuku style gate-crashing a London post-punk warehouse rave. 'GG' short for 'Garlic Gang' is an electro-punk taste-sensation. It’s bold, intense, and yes - pungent. The beat, courtesy of XANSEI and Decz, is a crunchy, percussive relish that chomps beneath sugary sweet vocals. Pitched as almost...

Although it starts with a gentle rhythm, once Human Intrusion’s track 'Collider' fired-up, it hit me like a high-energy particle smashing through a cloud chamber - sparky, precise and strangely magnetic. As a science nerd with a soft spot for industrial guitars and synths, this track felt like it was engineered in a lab just for me. The Naarm/Melbourne-based duo Lewis O’Brien and Penny Walker-Keefe channel the ghost frequencies of The Cure and Depeche Mode, but manage to splice in strands of more contemporary influences. The result? A sonic isotope that’s both retro and radiant. Taken from their 'Fission' EP, Collider honours the Large Hadron Collider with a sound that’s equal parts mechanical and metaphysical. In some ways, it reminded me of Curve, with that divine rumbling, rollercoaster bass and appealing vocals performed with gothic lustre. A production which plays out as both elegant and powerful. Amusingly, the EP is available in a limited edition floppy disc form...

Finnish alternative metalists Darevolt have just released a scorching new rocker called Cut Loose. From the very off, like a champion greyhound exploding from the trap, the recording is a firecracker of feisty guitars and bang-away drums. At times, the vocal line has a slight feel of Rage Against The Machine, but with more of a grunge delivery. The band are "inspired by the swagger of Queens of the Stone Age and the primal punch of Royal Blood" but they have plucked away all the flab and slimmed it down to the bare bones. The song certainly pops from the speaker cabinets, like a savage beast trying to escape its cage to run free through the grass. Nicely done.

The Utrecht-based electro punk outfit known as We Love People In Bearsuits have clawed their way out of a decade-long hibernation, and I couldn’t be happier. Their latest track, Hässliche Jugend (which I believe translates as 'Ugly Youth'), is a gloriously unhinged slice of Neue Deutsche Welle rebellion - brutal, cheeky and defiantly weird. It blends punchy synths, hooky guitars, and absurdist German vocals with a carefree, trash-can attitude that’s hard to resist. From the first confidently pounding electronic notes and obtuse oral side-step, I was hooked. The recording is nuts, raw and hard to ignore with big, bossy synths, robotic beats and distorted, oxygen-starved vocals. It’s great to hear a sense of humour in music again.  At times it sounds like Gary Numan having a breakdown in a German gnome factory - and I mean that as a compliment.  Admittedly, the track is slightly repetitive, however, it pulls in enough sonic textures and curveball elements to keep your ears engag...

At last, something to write about on the music front after a few weeks of audio tumbleweed. I would like to talk about Goudron the new single by Immoral Kids , a release which is a gloriously obtuse plunge into electro-clash’s disturbed underbelly. To my tender ears, it is a track that slinks, snarls and seduces with dysfunctional charm. From the first metallic throb, I felt like I’d wandered into a vinyl-padded dungeon where hard-wired, techno-punk machines reign supreme. The band themselves purport to have been raised by bloodthirsty monsters in northern forests, these two self-taught existentialists have clearly digested human decadence with a wicked grin. The production is a beautiful head spin; tetchy synths clash with pounding beats, textures scrape like rusted steel, and yet it all flows with a perverse elegance. It’s a song recorded with a sparkling zest for embracing off-kilter sensuality, there's even a breathless, gasping interlude to throw hot wax onto the proceedings....

I’ve had new track NPC on repeat for a couple of weeks now. Minneapolis synthpop duo wolfbabycup craft something hauntingly intimate here, dark electro-pop with a downbeat pulse that feels like a song composed in charcoal. Inspired by the concept of sonder, the track captures that dizzying realisation that we’re all just extras in each other’s stories. In some ways that's how the piece plays out, the act allow you into their world whilst never really giving you their full attention. There’s a neat, gloomy persistence with the gliding synths and languid vocal style, creating an atmospheric recording that sits heavy in the chest. The cover art is interesting, too - a candid shot of an older, punk-ish looking woman, grasping her espresso, stands against a backdrop of a youthful graffiti portrait. The image perfectly mirrors the song’s quiet melancholy. It’s not flashy, but it has impact and intrigue.

Your Dog by MADANES  caught my eye before my ear as the music video is done so well, with a dog and puppet-man amusingly battling for the attentions of a young lady. In truth, the dog steals the show, but the pathos is cleverly portrayed whoever's side you are on.  The song itself is fun, too. I’ve always had a soft spot for material that barks up the wrong emotional tree and Your Dog is a tail-wagging triumph of tragic affection - a musical canine comedy. It’s the kind of track that makes you laugh, wince and wonder if you’ve ever been out-romanced by a Cockapoo? Your Dog tells the story of a man hopelessly in love with a woman who’s emotionally uninterested, but her dog? That furry fellow is all in - with a paw in every camp. The lyrics are heartbreakingly hilarious: “Your dog, he loves me, more than you will.” Oof. It is never fun to be ignawed (sorry!). MADANES, an Israel-born, vegan, vinyl-hoarding, melody magician, has a voice that struts somewhere between Elton John’s ...

Unsurprisingly, I have more gloomy sounds to bring to your attention - after all, there is a lot of fun to be had in the dark. On hearing Claudia Kane ’s new platter  Surrender , the song grasped me like a fever dream in a concrete basement - claustrophobic, seductive and oddly compelling. The London-based producer, songwriter, vocalist, and DJ conjures a sonic world where cabaret electronics meet the sweat and shadows of underground nightlife. Her voice, sensual and understated, glides over a machine-like electro backbone riddled with sinister, animalistic sound effects. It’s dense paranoia rendered in four and half minutes of a song - like a cinematic Fad Gadget running through the murky, subterranean backstreets. Claudia Kane says: “I start with a scene in my head and create textures and lyrics that feel close, unsettling and haunted by something unsaid". That is well illustrated in the track's music video, itself presented like a short movie. Regular readers of my words wi...

The last time I featured Menthüll , they had just released Parade, a New Order inspired electro stomper. It is great to have them back, especially as the new recording CERAMICA hits me right in my shadowy sweet spot. As a longtime goth with a penchant for moody synths and melancholic elegance, this track feels tailor-made for me. The darkwave duo from Hull, Québec, who formed in 2020, sing in both English and French, though language hardly matters when the atmosphere is this rich. Their sound is downbeat and brooding, yet the vocals cut through with a fresh, clean clarity that’s almost uplifting. It’s like staring at a black and white photograph: stark, beautiful, and quietly intense. CERAMICA doesn’t try to overwhelm with a bombastic need for attention; it lingers, like fog on glass. The synths pulse gently, the rhythm restrained and the emotion, provided by multi-layered vocals, simmering just beneath. It’s the style of music that makes me want to light a candle, pull on a big, blac...

Modeling 's latest offering, at Variance , spills onto the sonic canvas like a chiaroscuro painting in motion; equal parts shadow and shimmer. This three-piece band from Fayetteville, Arkansas conjures introspection with the surgical precision of analogue synths and an artist’s devotion to fresh soundscapes. The track is an emotional ballet built on tension and release, its atypical structure inspired by ghostly rhythm of Justin Peck’s The Decalogue with New York City Ballet. What emerges is a slick hybrid, experimental electronica sliced with orchestral swoon and shadowy trip-hop swathes. Imagine Björk exploring the corridors of sound with Everything But The Girl, layering tone and texture at every turn. Huge cinematic chords rumble into play with astute timing - beautifully bold touches that frame the emotional weight and add a widescreen drama. The track feels like a midnight drive through a city's nightlife, windows down, heart ajar.  Modeling doesn’t just play with sound,...

Here is a new one from Shapes , Montreal's post-punk outfit. Minos  kicks off with a zigzagging synth-line that plants a wrong-footing signpost into a sonic labyrinth of smoke and mirrors. However, robustly guided by the chugging bass, the illusion quickly falls away and a steady, muscular tune is revealed. It is like a recipe producing a different flavour to what you were expecting. Toss in classic sparky guitars à la Killing Joke, maybe even a hint of Adam & The Antz, add a more recent splash of Editors’ commercial readiness, and you’ve got a cocktail of existential angst served with a pleasing dancefloor twist. Born from the minds of Alex “Speechless” Savard and Trevor Bushey, this track didn’t just light the band’s fuse, it was the spark. There’s pop sensibility buried under poetic gloom, like a pogo in a library. Bushey’s vocals muse on futility with “the fruit never flowers”, a line so bleak it should come with a cup of tea and a hug. Dark yet danceable, arty yet accessib...

After a run of more obtuse tracks, I fancied reporting back on a release which could get my toes tapping again, just something a little more straightforward. Luckily, I found the right piece. ShockOne ’s latest drop, Voices , is a no-nonsense dancefloor missile that hits the sweet spot between slick production and pure energy. Rooted in drum and bass, it’s helped along with electro zaps, well-positioned chord stabs and whispery vocals that add just the right touch of mystery. The tempo is tight and driving, perfect for late-night clubs or headphone sprints for the fitness freaks. There’s no overthinking here, the tune is built to move, and it does so with style. The mix is clean and confident, with those subtle vocal elements keeping things interesting without ever slowing the momentum. As a single, it’s vibrant, punchy and refreshingly direct. If you’re after a track that gets straight to the point and keeps the vibe alive, ShockOne’s Voices delivers with flair. You will find it avail...

Collapsing Scenery aren’t so much a band as a chaotic art installation. Their latest track, Magic Button , is bonkers, abstract, and wildly innovative. Their sound seems almost developed from the comedic exploits of some amateur theatre group that has devoured a boxful of dodgy-brownies before accidentally stumbling into a pre-school music room.  At times it does feel like their instruments have been overtaken by punk gremlins with a penchant for pounding disco beats, but somehow all that craziness comes together extremely well. Reggie Debris and Don Devore conjure a fever-dream of driving rhythms, cosmic arrangements and percussion that clatters like someone banging pots and pans with a beaming grin. The video is even better - a contorting slumber-man bumbles around, a cartoon pianist tickles keys with surreal flair, and a mature showgirl proves age is no barrier to fabulousness. It’s like late-night telly on medication and well worth a watch. Magic Button isn’t so much musi...

If David Lynch had a club night to host, he'd probably be spinning discs like Aitis Band 's latest release Screenplay . With a murmuring drone that creeps like fog through an abandoned conservatory and vocals delivered in the tone of someone who’s just been pulled from the mortuary slab; this track oozes a weird, nightmarish mood with gleeful abandon. Melina Ausikaitis’ passive spoken word delivery is equal parts obituary and voicemail from beyond the veil. Her voice floats atop a rumbling backdrop making the recording feel like a horror monologue accompanied by an orchestra of possessed fridges, humming and spewing toxins. Imagine channelling the words of Edgar Allan Poe via a séance, while the spirit of Angelo Badalamenti fiddles ominously, behind the curtain, with a bank of decaying synths. It’s unsettling and darkly conceived - a soundtrack for emotional poltergeists. As for Aitis Band? They’re hanging in purgatory between “that’s what she said” and “what on earth did she m...

Brace yourself for a raucous earworm pimping with a hammer-drill. This Hate Hurts by Pinc Louds is the sonic equivalent of a glitter cannon fired at your senses. From the get-go, it’s clear the band isn’t here to cuddle your feelings—they’re here to rattle them. Channelling the spirit of The Creatures’ tribal chaos, the recording wields banging drums like a tantrum in a tin factory. Every beat lands with joyous violence, stomping through the mix like a punk-rock parade in hob-nail boots. Alongside the percussive exuberance come the cheeky fuzzy synths, snarky little gremlins that giggle and fizz, giving the song that bubblegum-gone-feral edge. But it’s the eccentric high-octane vocals that steal the show with bemusing lyrics like "Chew the gum off my shoe, I wanna feel it, sliding down your throat until it covers the rust". Imagine a gender-mangled Siouxsie Sioux on a trampoline during a sugar rush - pitchy, punchy, and utterly unhinged. The delivery is so delightfully dram...

As an old, closet goth from the velvet days of post-punk Britain, this track, Superior , caught my attention with the band's name,  Lillies and Remains . The name obviously references the classic Bauhaus song from their unbeatable Mask album. Interestingly, Lillies and Remains are from Tokyo, Japan and it gave me a lot of joy to hear that the band cite Bauhaus, along with Public Image Limited, Joy Division and Interpol, as influences. Superior, the act's single, possibly dials down the hard-edges of the peers that inspired them, but it still manages to leap out of the speakers with a glistening guitar motif and general new wave spirit. The result is a superlative tune with commercial pop appeal, made even more alluring by a stabbing post-punk power source. Superior indeed! Here's the video:

How could I ignore a track which opens with the line "I've got cassette tapeworms" and then later dips in with "kafkaesque burlesque, romanesque grotesque, cold jacuzzi river Esk"? That's what Elf Jaw brings to the table with Feral , one of the tracks from the recent Nesh EP . Apart from the entertaining words; the recording is packed to the brim with bouncy instrumentation, made even more formidable by an oddly contagious layer of brass. Trust me, it really works as an added hook, upping the catchiness a few notches. For me it is all perfectly rounded off with a spirited vocal, making this wild song rather captivating. Excellent.  

From war-torn Ukraine comes an intriguing recording entitled, Leave Me and Go , a recent release by electronic duo THISFAR . The band say that song is a self-reflection of their feelings while living during active war and is about the "overwhelming sense of despair regarding losing control of your life and telling the fate to just "leave me and go". Although that seems like heavy subject matter to put to audio, the track itself is surprisingly deft and delicate, with layers of sounds and vocals combining into a trance-like mantra. The overall impression is an experimental song with shades of sadness, but presented as a collage of reflection and intimacy. A great track, please give it a listen.

Not a lot of drum & bass makes it onto my radar these days, I tend to find that the genre has become really formulaic and uninspired, same old beats, same old sounds, same old drops. However, with her recent single, Got That Blow , DJ Madam Filth has reminded me how much energy and joy can be achieved with a direct to the floor production. There's a certain retro slant with the hybrid of techno and drum & bass, but that just gives the recording enough magic to warrant repeat plays. A foot-tapper which is a crisp and clean delight. DJ MADAM FILTH · DJ MADAM FILTH - GOT THAT BLOW (original mix)

This blog's repeat-offenders, AUS!Funkt , are sometimes at their best when they do less. That's the beauty in the beast of their latest track called  Follow the Impulse to Insanity (Black and White) , which kicks off their new EP. In some ways, the non-snappy title carries more flab than the recording itself. From the very start, the music builds on a compelling groove which simply bounces around the walls like a sonic rubber disco ball lifted from a hot-wired game of Pong. Although, extruded into a post-seven minute rollick, the result is direct and effective - and it really gets under your skin. Another superb track from the Montreal-based outfit. Be sure to give it a spin. Unredacted Correspondence No. 7 from the Büro of the Ministry of Wires: Trash Talks avec Monsieur Plus Gros Bouton & Madame Petits Ciseaux by AUS!Funkt

There is obviously a lot of effort that has gone into producing Mary Middlefield 's latest single Summer Affair and I feel that really needs to be acknowledged and appreciated. Everything about the recording is tight and well-polished, with the sound expertly balanced between voracious energy and a slick pop sentiment. At the heart of song the vocals provide both charisma and drive, with the joyful guitars buzzing around like bees high on sonic nectar. Middlefield explains that "Summer Affair is a celebration of freedom in its rawest, most joyful form. I wanted to capture the feeling of being unapologetically alive; dancing without restraint, laughing too loud, changing your mind just because you can. It’s about giving yourself permission to feel everything - to be messy, expressive, soft, raw, and real. To share that energy with the people you love. In a world that often feels constricted and pre-scripted, this song is my way of breaking the rules, reclaiming spontaneity, an...

London-based Darkwave/Post-Punk combo Death Drive , aka Carine Fierobe (Vocals, FX) and Danny Sanchez (Synths, Drum Machines, FX) have a splendid new single out called Volcano . Once again, the duo have produced a track which builds around some robust electro, pleasing the purists by embracing classic sounds at its core. That precise approach is well augmented with some elegant vocals sung in French and English, providing an enjoyably old school, noir mood. The band say the song "depicts the uncontrollable and unpredictable anger that occurs when your ego is cracked open and dismantled. When you look for protection from the burning desire to destroy everything, including yourself". Volcano is available now via Gasolina Recordings - a terrific release so go give it a blast! Volcano by Death Drive

Bad Flamingo exude a certain surreal, bar-room glamour; the duo are constantly riding that beast which sits between the provocative and the mysterious. Their new single  Hold Up the Lighter once again shows their musical demeanour remains entrenched in a sort of laid-back bluesy, guitar/vocal Americana which equally works within the realms of vampish alt-rock. As usual, the band's lyrics lay on the intrigue with a cinematic inflexion and this recording hits you with "I burn midnight oil parked outside your place. Hold up the lighter. And I tilt my head back and let the dark air hit my face. Still stroking the fire". Proving yet again that, though the words may at times provide clues, but the mask never slips. Bad Flamingo are an entertaining enigma with a unique dress-code, please have a listen to Hold Up the Lighter below:

Watch out, people! That hyper-feisty, electro-industrial, tour de force Staytus has just released the final single from her Twisted Frames Series and it rounds off everything with quite a blast. Opening with the line "tie you to the bed, bash you over the head" ,  How To Be A Serial Killer gives you an immediate jolt of knowledge that this time, for sure, Staytus is not messing around with pleasantries. The song continues with an itinerary of attack plans befitting a mass murderer, all punched through at a thumping tempo with appropriate axe-wielding, guitar mania slicing up the beats. The track was inspired by the cult horror-comedy film with lyrics that confront themes of repression, rage, and fractured identity. As Staytus explains "the song is a metaphor for what happens when pain is left to rot in silence. It’s about the darkest thoughts we never dare to speak, turned into a performance of catharsis. I wanted this final track in the Twisted Frames series to leave ...

Surprisingly, for a Bank Holiday Monday, the sun is shining today in Blighty (that's 'England' for those not familiar with the terminology). OK, there are big, black clouds rolling around and the breeze is strong enough to up-end the nation's garden parasols, but the general view (from behind double-glazed glass) is almost summery. So, what better way to pass the time than to listen to an act called Sungaze and their latest release Shadows ?  At the core of the Cincinnati-based band are Ivory Snow and Ian Hilvert and they term their musical style as "American Dreamgaze". In some ways, that could be a bit limiting in demographic terms, but I suspect that's just a convenient shop-window from which they can present their splendid wares. To my ears, the band draw upon very British influences, such as The Cure (check out the intro) and the more obvious pillars of shoegaze, Slowdive. The song itself is a glistening pool of ethereal splendour, an elixir of joy w...