SKREEN B BLOG

Someone once said "I'm only happy when it rains". That was Garbage (the band, not the statement) and apart from some flooding from today's rain, I would tend to agree. By contrast, Huston Sonhouse offers in his own feelings on happiness with his latest release.  "Happiest World" pairs smoky blues guitar with sharp social observations, wrapped in a simple, unfussy recording that lets every lyric breathe. The song tackles the "coexistence of innocence and hardship and explores the trials and beauty of living in an imperfect world". With the same dark approach as Nick Cave and Tom Wait, pinned with a granite-like baritone vocal, it's comes across as beautifully worn-in Americana with a wry smile. Not my usual type of music, but appreciated nevertheless. Give it a whirl. LINK:  HUSTON SONHOUSE

Oh, my god! After weeks of pure sunshine and complete dryness, today the heavens have opened and I have been physically battling water flooding the back garden. So, rather apt then that Leipzig’s Kalte Steine arrive with “Drowning”. An oddly gentle gothic production, with very sparse and simple backing beneath almost robotic vocals, sung in English. There’s no frantic flailing here; it’s not so much anguished as an acceptance of fate. Darkwave from Germany’s gothic heart, a city synonymous with black-clad melancholy. The track stays remarkably calm while everything sinks around it - a case of going with the flow, even when the flow is decidedly against you. Now, I had better get back to my broom before the next wave of rain starts. Enjoy! LINK:  kalte_steine

Belgrade’s Salt Mirror are an alternative, nu-metal and emo band keeping the spirit of the 2000s alive, and 'Castaway' makes that mission abundantly clear. Sung in English, the “keep away, stay away” part of the lyric feels like a signpost for anyone who likes their music gentle and restrained - because this certainly isn’t. The vocals carry a grunge-screamo feel, while rolling waves of guitars keep rolling in towards the ending, leaving a dense, bruising final impression. Loud and raw, Salt Mirror make noise seem like plain sailing. 'Castaway' is the second single from the band's upcoming EP 'Safe To Sink'. LINK:  saltmirrorband

I have never featured anything from Kazakhstan so it gives me a lot of pleasure to highlight music from that region, in this case, provided by Almaty-based band CROWDWORK. The act's latest release 'After Night' is a strange one, hard to define, but it sounds a little bit like putting Depeche Mode, Yello, Nine Inch Nails and The Chemical Brothers into a huge industrial cement mixer, then tipping the whole lot across a new-rave dancefloor. In most cases, that sludge of influences would create something messy and ill-advised, however, the band make it work. Everything’s in here, including the kitchen sink: twitching bleeps, dive-bombing sonics, oddball samples, thrusting guitars and a punkish vocal attitude. The track shape-shifts every 15 seconds, creating a restless, unstable rush that mirrors its themes of fear, displacement and 21st-century loneliness. Somewhere between dance-rock, Alternative-IDM and industrial aggression, echoes of the past emerge alongside contemporary ...

Today, in old Blighty, it has rained for the first time in weeks, nay months. The garden is scorched and the flora are thirsty. Timely then, that this caught my eye, a track entitled 'Water All the Plants'. As it happens, it is less about gardening and more about society with smallsmile turning generational warfare into song. The approach is something far more thoughtful than biting, with 'Water All the Plants' skewering the media-manufactured battle between Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and Zoomers. Choppy guitars with a hint of twang provide a suitably wiry backdrop, while the dead-pan vocal delivery lands each absurd observation with impeccable timing. There’s plenty of humour here, but the song feels more academic than riotous, dissecting the ridiculousness of all-or-nothing thinking rather than simply throwing punches. The repeated refrain becomes almost meditative, shifting the focus from generational blame to something much simpler: looking after yourself, your pla...

Less is more, some say. At just 79 seconds, Sky Kistler’s 'a lil breakcore moment' wastes absolutely no time. An 80s computer game feel collides with rattling glitch piano and frantic junglist beats, creating a fun rave dash for little computer people. Emerging from ZSHELL into hyperpop nonsense, this tiny instrumental burst is playful, chaotic and even quite uplifting. LINK:  Sky Kistler

Today I'm recommending one of those off-the-wall pieces, the type of thing which you won't hear on daytime radio.  Willoh’s “CU” is deliciously experimental, pairing gossamer guitar and clattering percussion with hypnotic beats before exploding into glitchy dissonance. An angular attack on the senses, like a daydream broken into shards, it’s an intriguing, lo-fi journey through self-doubt, nostalgia and self-discovery, leaving you wondering exactly what just happened. It almost works in the same way as My Bloody Valentine, the enjoyment comes from making you feel slightly queasy at the same time as getting under your skin. Pop lovers would possibly file this under "uneasy listening" - certainly a cool experiment. LINK:  willoh Official

Rounding away the hard-edges that I have been recommending lately, I thought it was about time for something a little more cosy. Phree Direxion turn 'Pursuit Of Happiness (I’ll Be Good)' into a chill, hypnotic, downtempo drift, packed with warm summer vibes. Sleepy beats and a clean-cut production create an effortlessly laid-back atmosphere, while the soft vocal floats gently across the mix. It’s a dreamy, emotive cover that feels perfect for lazy afternoons, sunset drives and losing yourself in the moment. It is like a sonic Mr Whippy, pumped directly from a machine, to enjoy in the heat of the day. LINK:  Phree Direxion Official

Time to counter-act all that sunshine. Nrvs deliver another gloriously abrasive slice of off-kilter post-punk on their latest offering, 'The Tanks Are Coming Out'. Urgent, confrontational and politically charged, it channels John Cale-inspired unease into a visceral rallying cry against authoritarianism, censorship and social collapse. Produced by Matt Allchin, this is punk protest music with genuine bite and purpose. The accompanying video adds to the splendour of the everyday gloom about society. 'The Tanks Are Coming Out' is a mantra for the modern world.  LINK:  Nrvs Official

'Grunge Anthem of Disillusionment' (great title!) is industrial rock thrown into a blender with 90s mash-up culture. The Every Infernal combine gruff vocals, oddball electro, scratching and gloriously wacky experimentation into something abrasive, unpredictable and wonderfully unhinged. It’s messy, rebellious and refreshingly off-the-wall, like a broken jukebox having an existential crisis. Chipping-in at just over 2 minutes, it is a very short nose-dive into something a little different. Give it a spin. LINK:  HEFE HEETROC linguistic soup by The Every Infernal

There are some tracks that you enjoy when they first arrive, and others that somehow become even better with time. Low Hummer’s 'Panic Calls' is firmly in the latter category. Looking back at it now, it’s remarkable just how fresh, quirky and downright infectious this Hull outfit’s track still sounds. 'Panic Calls' has that wonderfully off-kilter Low Hummer quality, throwing together wonky synths, angular guitars and brilliantly unpredictable vocal interplay. It’s odd and abstract in all the right places, but beneath the eccentricity lies a collection of hooks that are impossible to shake. What really stands out is the sheer character of the song. It refuses to settle into the predictable, constantly nudging the listener in unexpected directions while remaining ridiculously catchy. It’s the kind of track that demands another listen almost immediately — and then another. Revisiting 'Panic Calls' has reminded me just how good it was. In fact, if I had a musical di...

As a complete contrast to my last recommendation,  EMNW smash through with a thoroughly upbeat and vibrant new release,  LOVING TO GET US BY . Apparently, this is their major debut single - and it certainly packs a punch with a slick and entertaining romp which combines their signature nu-metal, punk, and hip-hop origins with new EDM elements. LOVING TO GET US BY is a youthful, joyous song bursting with infectious energy from start to finish. Fronted by Emma, from Yokohama, and Menu, from Okinawa, the duo bring together different corners of Japan with a shared passion for fusing various influences into something distinctly their own. Their dual-vocal attack gives the track its personality, effortlessly switching between confident rap verses and memorable hooks, while the pounding beats and razor-sharp guitars create a sound that's equally at home in the club, the gym or on a festival stage. Contributors, Sam Matlock and Charlie Russell, help refine the band's explos...

Every so often a track arrives which is so good that you simply have to sit back and wallow in the majesty of music creation. Admittedly, I am an oddball, so happiness for me often comes from hearing something wonderfully dark and dysfunctional. That's quite a build-up, but I Tend the Light has hit the rusty nail firmly on the head with the latest release, 'One Need Not be a Chamber'. The creative outlet of Sheffield multi-instrumentalist Winslow Wake, I Tend the Light continues to blur the boundaries between doom, sludge, post-metal, blackgaze, drone and electronic experimentation. Inspired by Emily Dickinson's haunting poem and incorporating Electronic Voice Phenomenon recordings; the track explores the ghosts we carry within ourselves through prolonged tension, hypnotic repetition and frenetic, industrial-leaning brutalism. Rather than relying on familiar genre tropes, Wake patiently builds an atmosphere that feels both oppressive and strangely beautiful before subv...

Last time around I was singing the praises of ICONA’s 'Kono‑Hito'. The astute among you will have noticed on the artwork that the release comes paired with another track, 'Pain'. It feels like a natural continuation of what struck me so powerfully in 'Kono‑Hito': that fusion of emotional intensity and sleek, forward‑leaning electronic craft. The Tokyo trio - Shinichiro Ohta (vocals), Hiroyuki Sonobe (keyboards), and Tohto Arai (keyboards/director) - are veterans of Japan’s stadium‑tour circuit, and they channel decades of analog‑digital expertise into a dramatic electronic pop piece that balances instrumental finesse with sharply expressive vocals. 'Pain' stands at the crossroads of deep nostalgia and futuristic design, yet avoids retro revivalism entirely. It leans more towards art‑pop and a fiery, synth‑driven aesthetic, all delivered with a distinctly Japanese flair. The result is bold, polished, and punchy - another clear reminder of ICONA’s ongoing ...

I was delighted to have this release sent to me. ICONA's new track 'Kono-Hito' upholds that Japanese tradition of acts creating exuberant, slightly odd music with a genius for pulling out an under‑the‑skin melodic hook. As an Englishman who has adored Japanese music for decades, I felt that familiar thrill the moment the track’s restless pulse kicked in. ICONA blur synth‑driven pop with post‑punk tension, building 'Kono-Hito' around rap‑inflected agitation and sudden, dramatic melodic turns that feel both theatrical and playful. Then comes the spoken‑word passage - a stark, Italian Futurist‑inspired interruption - which shouldn’t fit, yet somehow becomes the track’s most daring flourish. At moments, ICONA sound like a wonderfully mangled hybrid of two of my greatest Japanese loves: the much‑missed Astro‑B and the undeniable masters, Yellow Magic Orchestra. What resonates most is how ICONA’s decades of analog‑digital craftsmanship are channelled into something raw ra...

Kallsup ’s new single 'Kino ' feels like the moment a band realises its own momentum and decides to lean all the way into it. After a whirlwind 2025, which included a debut album, two tours, and a sold‑out Svart Ridå support slot - the Swedish sextet could easily have paused to catch their breath. Instead, they channelled that chaos straight back into the studio, letting friction become fuel. The result is a track that captures exactly what makes Kallsup compelling: six components locking into one shared pulse. 'Kino' is the sonic gem fans have been quietly hoping for. Fast, direct, and built around a guitar line that sketches the musical blueprint for their upcoming album 'Alldeles för nära' (Far too close), it’s the most thrusting thing they’ve released. The band’s dreamy shoegaze roots are still there, but sharpened by post‑punk urgency and a contemporary shimmer that feels widescreen. Eline Gustafsson delivers what might be her strongest vocal performance ye...

Like buses, two in a row. Dina Summer return with “Fuel,” a kinetic single that surges forward with the same cinematic confidence that made “On The Road” such a compelling ride. Where that track glided like a synth‑wave noir on cruise control, “Fuel” drops the gearshift into something far more volatile. Drawing heavily from 90s electro and EBM, the band ignite a darker, more insistent energy, with Dina’s spoken‑word delivery slicing cleanly through the mix. Her voice doesn’t just guide the track - it commands it. The production is a marvel of mechanical precision. A deep rumble underpins the soundscape, the synths cracking like power surges ricocheting off concrete. The drumline lands in heavy, industrial blows - a stark pulse, stripped of ornament, built only for impact. Every element feels engineered for propulsion, each beat tightening the tension as the track plays out. The brutalist approach to the sound is then expertly underpinned by the arty black and white video, the visuals e...

Berlin-based synth-wave band, Dina Summer have seemingly selected the right gear with their new track 'On The Road'. Panning out like sonic art film noir, the recording, inspired by Jack Kerouac, rumbles along with a delightful elegance; dystopian vocals supported by passing synths and subtle guitar motifs. The band have produced a song which is expertly steered, taking the listener on an enjoyable journey, full of dark intrigue and free from any bumps or obstacles. This is a smooth ride, so easy on the ear, that it could be that Dina Summer have discovered the ultimate cruise control. Dina Summer is a collaborative band project by the producer Kalipo and the DJ/producer couple Local Suicide, fronted by Greek native Dina P. However, 'On The Road' features extra guitar grunt from Crime and the City Solution member Joshua Murphy. The single is available now from Iptamenos Discos. LINK:  Dina Summer

Initially released as a video only, 'Pluck It' by Toronto post-industrial groove-punk duo, Forming, is a rampant, tour-de-force of a single. In some ways, it is reminiscent of early Fad Gadget, having a no-nonsense, direct-to-the-ear electronic engine throbbing away whilst a somewhat dystopian vocal adds shadow to the clean instrumental lines. Sounding like an avant-garde hybrid of techno and post-punk electro, while sonically edging towards brutalism, the single is still a refreshing listen. The video, created in-house by band member Danny Alexander, is a visual delight in its own right. Like an art-house collage of images, the black and white oddity works brilliantly with the audio. 'Pluck It' is taken from the band's forthcoming EP, Night Shift. LINK:  Forming

It is another gloomy looking day in Blighty, rain‑grey skies and the feeling that the sunrise is only a temporary window before the light fades again – and that mood makes a great backdrop to give Darkswoon a spin with their new single. 'Thread' is one of those tracks which does not try too hard, but still manages to get under your skin, its evocative weight carried with a guided, refined confidence. The track ambles along with an understated force, lovely distorted guitars providing a back-wash of spidery atmospherics that perfectly frame Jana Cushman’s ethereal, aching vocal. As the first taste of their forthcoming album, Antivenom, it shows a band fully settled into their darkwave–post‑punk–shoegaze hybrid, but sharpening it into something more intimate and exposed. Cushman’s lyrics cut with poetic honesty ( 'I miss who we were together, A million years ago, A shelter from bad weather, Of our stormy home' ), tracing trauma bonds, silence, and the fragile threads that...

Japanese–Canadian dance‑punk trio, Gaijin Smash, have just released a stonking new track called 'Mountain', and it’s a vibrant vista of noise. The song works on several levels: slightly craggy guitars carve out the edges while the vocal refrains bring an unexpected warmth. It all coheres into a soaring, dual‑language onslaught, the vocals switching between Japanese and English to give the structure a interesting tilt as the band explore “the fight through inner turmoil and external pressures — ultimately emerging with renewed strength and resilience.” Heady and entertaining, 'Mountain' is a high‑altitude post‑punk tune with ragged sonics at its core and a welcome dusting of charisma across the top. It arrives as the first single from the band’s upcoming EP Humans, set for release on July 2. LINK:  gaijinsmash

Second Idol are a four-piece collective of second-generation Australians with a wide-scope of cultural origins. The band's diversity across gender identities, sexualities and cultural backgrounds provides the substance to fuel and propel their recordings. Listening to their new track 'Third Culture Kids' feels a little like standing at a meeting point where their identity, ideology and sound converge. I was instantly swept up by its urgency and punctuated approach; defined, in part, by the tight staccato arrangement. Following on, the guitars slice through the percussion with rawness, while Kate’s fiery vocal pulls everything together with confidence; embodying the tension of belonging in a fragmented world. This one tasty morsel of their work packs a similar punch to the innovators that have influenced them, but Second Idol prove they’re walking their own path. 'Third Culture Kids' is bold, uncompromising and highly listenable. The band's debut album is availab...

Flying in like a glam-rock act on rocket-propelled roller-skates, come Portland’s combobox with their latest track 'The Sermon'. In this "eggpunk Southern Gothic tale very loosely based on a real historical figure", the obvious driving force is the percussion, the drums really thump along with great vitality. However, it has to be said that the chugging bass, flashing guitars and frantic vocals are pretty hot on the heels. The resulting pleasure is a dynamic and unstoppable recording which delights and entertains. Originally formed in 2022, the current line-up of the band includes Zach Kay (vocals/guitar) and Ty Schreiber (guitar/vocals), Amy Katrina Bryan (drums) and Kaleb Lee (bass). The band term their sound as "spankwave"; a type of alt-punk loaded with frenetic energy and tongue-in-cheek absurdity, but retaining a tight control on musicianship. I suppose you could call their approach as discipline with a whip and a crack? 'The Sermon' certainly ...

Gothic trip hop is a new one on me (I think?), but with 'BRIDGE' those two cousins and Queens, NY natives, THROES NYC, have spanned two quite polar genres with great style and depth.  THROES NYC, aka Michael Bozzo and Courtney Leo, seem to have built a winning combination with an expansive sound pulling in influences from the early 90s and 00s. Always evolving, they strive to construct anything "that radiates vibes vibes vibes" and in doing so incorporate everything from experimental and new wave to pop, indie and trip hop. Taken from their latest EP, 'BRIDGE' is one of those tracks which oozes longevity. Courtney's sonorous vocals provide the keystone to the recording, but the instrumentation is equally impressive, playing more than just a supporting role. In fact, it was the quality of the backing that really caught my attention - having a bass with such fluidity that it almost resonates like the honeyed ejaculate of Pino Palladino floating through zero-...

The intro to Wuzy Bambussy's latest single, Little Lion, is a right royal wrong-footer. An unexpected trumpet announces the track after a brief, but cute, throat-clearing miaow of a light funk rhythm. But then, the big beast of a synth line arrives for the song proper and a sensational pop tune is born. The whole sound roars into life, much helped by Kat Harrison's splendid vocal - she crystalises the hooks and splashes colour across the precise beats and rhythm. Little Lion is the first single from the forthcoming debut album 'The Ghost & The Rhythm', which is due out in April 2026. The English West Country duo say that the song takes influence from 1980s synth classics and is about "reaching out to a fallen love in troubled times". From experience, I know that it is not an easy task to create a really good three minute pop tune, but Wuzy Bambussy have cracked it. This Little Lion - she's got claws. Be sure to check out the cool video, too. LINK:  wuz...