SKREEN B BLOG

Breezing in again with some more of their laidback Americana are masked-duo Bad Flamingo and their latest recording 'The Fruit'. This time around they have picked a song which is succulent and delicious, and they somehow continue to impress, making the song-writing process seem almost effortless.     'The Fruit' is softly sung, sweet but not sickly - the production is smooth as silk, smoky as camp-fire; their stripped-back approach working wonders as they gently pluck, twang and charm. Once again, Bad Flamingo have released a track which sounds perfectly ripe and fully-rounded. Hats off to them! LINK:  Bad Flamingo

As raw and rough as a tiger's tongue, garage rock 'n' roll duo Cannibal Daydream's recent release 'Baby, Can't You Feel My Sickness?' is a veritable slug in the guts. I loved the honesty from them that it sounds like it was "recorded on a TI-83 calculator" and that endearing comment made me enjoy it even more.  Mikey Isaac Peregrino and Miguel de Santiago formed Cannibal Daydream, in the Fall of 2025, after a chance meeting when they noticed both were wearing matching Danzig shirts. They say "A demo tape was recorded, lives were ruined, and now here we are..." The band say the song itself is about "a scorpion woman who sucked the soul outta my body and it hurt" - and they certainly convey that with the stabbing percussion and stinging guitars. The last time I heard the lyrics "I wanna hold your hand" it came out of the mouths of the wearisome Fab Four. This time it seems that Cannibal Daydream have taken the sentiment ...

With 'Your Voice In My Ear', multi-dimensional artist, producer, singer and songwriter, Kat KIKTA, has created an absorbing spoken word recording which highlights just how wonderful experimental electronica can be when done with style and refinement. The single has shades of Blade Runner and O Superman era Laurie Anderson, embracing futurism in the context of an interaction between a human and a machine. It is like eavesdropping on an intensely intimate conversation, richly backdropped by a glistening expanse of ambient synths and environmental sounds. Sexy and slightly sinister, the track challenges that notion of whether love and human emotion can freely exist between a person and a non-person - a subject which I expect will receive even more discussion as the rise in the development of artificial intelligence impacts society. 'Your Voice In My Ear' is not just a song - it’s an immersive experience, a shimmering, sensual transmission from some liminal space between th...

Minimalism takes hold on Uniah's new release 'Hallucia' with a combination of orchestral swirls and ethereal vocals. With words conveying unease "you caused me / you caused this / wreck of a delusion / hopelessly hopelessly / i breathe…" the piece contains both ghostly and tender tones. The Norwegian act's piece is inspired by lucid dreams and sleep paralysis, transporting the listener into the unreal and surrounding them with an aural vision which hints at disturbance and dark forces. Released via Re:memory, 'Hallucia' is a dramatic and compelling first single from Uniah's forthcoming debut album. Please give it a spin! LINK:  linktr.ee/uniah Hallucia by Uniah

The Martyr’s latest single, Lament In Black, is a deliciously grim (in a good way!) offering from the Los Angeles post-punk outfit whose sonic palette draws from industrial rock, gothic rock, new wave and existential dread. The track pulses with a drumbeat that feels like a hurried funeral march, while the guitar riff slinks through the shadows like a black cat with eyeliner. It’s darkwave at its finest: moody, magnetic and perfect for the goth club floor, where the despairing go to find joy. Expect lots of lace gloves and flailing arms, where you're not sure if the clients are dancing or spiralling - possibly both. The lyrics are nightmarish paranoia: "Wrestle with the mirror. I don’t like what I see. All my greatest fears. Play out in my sleep". A sentiment a lot might of people might have felt deep in their spider-web-lined souls. With "It’s all so sad. I can’t help but laugh" practically being a mantra for anyone who’s ever worn sunglasses indoors to hide th...

Death Drive are back with a new single ‘Don’t Hide’ and having loved their previous one, Volcano, it was no surprise for me to appreciate this latest recording. I have always been a fan of electronic music with a dark edge, especially when it is well-constructed and performed, and this London duo know exactly how to twist the knife. The track is a brutal meditation on identity, corrosion, and the desperate need to belong. It is pulsing electronica with a relentless tempo, driven by industrial EBM rhythms and the shadowy ambience of modern darkwave. Carine Fierobe’s vocals adeptly cut through the mix, at times there's a slight ethnic intonation to some of the phrasing, adding a haunting texture that works well alongside all the precision. Sanchez’s synths don’t just soar they pound, scream and rupture. Co-produced with Jack Milwaukee, 'Don’t Hide' continues the path carved by the act's previous repertoire, and it doesn’t flinch. Out October 23rd via Gasolina Recordings. ...

LAMIA’s 'Angel' drifted into my headphones like a whispered invocation - heart-breaking, beautiful, and utterly spellbinding. From the very start, I felt submerged in a soundscape that mourns and longs in equal measure. It’s ambient, yes, but haunted too - and the synths are sublime, bleak and droning with delicate tones flickering around the gloom like fading fireflies. Her voice, fragile and front-facing, carries the weight of a lament, a love-letter edged in black. “Behind the iron sky I see you… And when it’s dark I need you”. Lines that hint at a certain sorrow and anguish shrouding the song. LAMIA’s artistry really engages the listener. A graduate of Goldsmiths and a student of Leeds Conservatoire and The BRIT School, she’s carved a space where experimental electronic meets post-trance and deconstructed club. 'Angel' feels like a portal into that world - a spectral guide through sorrow. She describes its creation as “a light that appeared and guided me through the...

Right from the very off, Psych-O-Positive rev-up the engine and spin the wheels like they are driving on a tank full of gasoline. Pushing the speed limit to the max, thrusting passed all the slow-coaches, there's almost an urgent, bluesy AC/DC vigour to the rock-heavy instrumentation. That all sounds fine and dandy, however, at the helm, on lead vocals, there's a certain wild child spirit, taking this song into a more alternative terrain. That makes the ride all that more fun and exhilarating.  The band, who claim to be a universal donor of sonic psychedelia, say that the song divulges "an authentic and relatable story about a night out gone wrong. It’s a sharp contrast, pitting dirty streets against a monolithic monument in a sonic landscape that defines and deifies rock ‘n’ roll". Lost & Found needs you to claim it and play it loud.  LINK: psych-o-positive.com

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.