Traitrs – Poison Mouths (Freakwave Records, 17 September)

Toronto post-punk / darkwave duo TRAITRS release beautifully caustic ‘Mouth Poisons’ single

Canadian post-punk rising stars TRAITRS present their new single ‘Mouth Poisons’,  the new taster of their forthcoming long-player ‘Horses In The Abattoir’, to be released in mid-November via Freakwave, a Berlin-based label that is part of the Schubert Music Europe group, with distribution by The Orchard. Not long ago, the duo released the single ‘Oh, Ballerina’. with a short moody art-house horror film meets 80’s new wave music video, directed and edited by Shawn Tucker.

Recorded by and produced with Josh Korody (F*cked Up, Japandroids, Dilly Dally, Beliefs, Nailbiter) at Candle Recording Studio, the new output was mastered by Pete Maher (U2, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Prince, Linkin Park, Katy Perry).

Based in Toronto, TRAITRS was formed in 2015 by Sean-Patrick Nolan and Shawn Tucker. With a cinematic blend of post-punk, goth, alternative and post-rock, their emotive melodies, propulsive rhythms, angular guitars and dark cinematic electronics quickly led to the duo becoming one of the dark music scene’s fastest rising independent artists.

“The core sketch of this song was written late at night at a very good friend’s place in Frankfurt, Germany. ‘Mouth Poisons’ is an extremely personal song and lyrically I set myself up as the main target. It carries an air of ‘come see what’s going inside of me that wants to burn down everything in sight’. Definitely my favourite single we have ever released to date,” says Shawn Tucker.

“‘Mouth Poisons’ was initially supposed to be a fast, angular punk track and it remained in this form for several months until Shawn wrote the bass guitar part and completely changed the way I heard the song. His melodic bass line brought out a sadness and vulnerability in the track that I didn’t know was there. All of a sudden this frantic punk song sounded more like The Smiths or New Order, so I completely rewrote my synth part to tease out those elements even more. The break before the outro is one of my favourite parts on the album,” says Sean-Patrick Nolan.

Early demos, recorded with Josh Korody, led to TRAITRS’ 2016 debut cassette ‘Rites And Ritual’ with Pleasence Records. After gaining traction in Europe and North America, TRAITRS released their critically acclaimed ‘Butcher’s Coin’ LP via Pleasence Records / Manic Depression Records / Alchera Visions in 2018. Bolstered by lead single ‘Thin Flesh’, the duo embarked on several lengthy tours overseas, performing in over a dozen countries with showcases at Wave Gothik Treffen, Castle Party, Extramuralhas, Nocturnal Culture Night, Wavefest, Canadian Music Week and Pop! Montreal.

Their relentless touring schedule and work ethic caught the attention of Thomas Thyssen and Eric Burton of Schubert Music Publishing and, in October 2020, they announced TRAITRS as the first signing to their brand-new record label Freakwave Records.

With the preceding limited 10’’ vinyl ‘The Sick, Tired And Ill’, which practically sold-out before its actual release, TRAITRS were able to triple their Spotify monthly listeners to >33k. In addition, lead single ‘Magdalene‘ spent 5 consecutive weeks at #1 on the German Alternative Charts (DAC).

As of September 17, ‘Mouth Poisons’ will be available digitally everywhere, including Spotify and Apple Music. On November 19, the full-length ‘Horses In The Abattoir’ LP will be released on vinyl, CD and digitally. It can be ordered at https://orcd.co/horsesintheabattoir

CREDITS
Written and performed by TRAiTRS
Shawn Tucker – Vocals, guitar, bass guitar and lyrics
Sean-Patrick Nolan – Synths, piano, sequencing and programming
Additional percussion by Josh Korody
Recorded at Candle Recording Studio in Toronto
Produced and mixed by Josh Korody and TRAITRS
Mastered by Pete Maher
Album cover design by Shawn Tucker, based on ‘Anna Pavlova In The Fokine/Saint-Saëns The Dying Swan. St. Petersburg – 1905’.
Video scenario and production by TRAITRS
Video directed and edited by Shawn Tucker

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Party Day – Sorted! (Optic Nerve CD/LP, 24 September 2021)

Reissued for the first time and first time ever on CD

Formed in 1981 in Barnsley, Party Day, with their bass-led rhythms and sharp, powerful drums, gigged extensively and released their debut single ‘Row The Boat Ashore’ in 1983. Their brand of Post-Punk Indie Rock with Gothic overtones soon got the attention of DJ John Peel and sold out almost immediately. The follow-up single ‘Spider’ from 1984 again received extensive airplay from John Peel and received rave reviews from the national music press.

Their self-released debut album Glasshouse was released in 1985 to glowing reviews and has gained popularity over the years. Now very collectable, it exchanges hands for big money on the secondhand market. The Glasshouse EP followed later in ‘85 heralding a more commercial approach and widening appeal. Their second album Simplicity was released in 1986.

A remastered 31 track double-CD of all of their vinyl releases plus unreleased recordings, Sorted! includes their critically acclaimed and highly sought-after debut album Glasshouse from 1985 and the 1986 follow-up Simplicity, singles & EPs. The 20-page booklet is adorned with the artwork from the Glasshouse EP, which features in the Prints & Drawings collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum.

Double-vinyl follows at the beginning of next year – includes the Glasshouse (purple vinyl) and Simplicity (gold vinyl) LPs, presented in a gatefold sleeve with printed inner sleeves and a download code for all 31 tracks on the double CD.

“Mouthy pellets of malevolence” NME      “Excellent punk junk howl” Sounds

“Proving that they’ve grasped more than an inspirational nettle, the recurrent throb finds their trousers igniting during the quite punctilious rawk of the title track, the urgent prodding of ‘Career’, which reminded me uncomfortably of early Killing Joke and the attractive, though slightly over-wrought black sheep, ‘Glorious Days’, which could have brought a lump to Mario Lanza’s trousers.” Mick Mercer, Melody Maker

CD1 1.Rabbit Pie 2.Firehorse 3.Carousel 4.Athena 5.Party Day 6.Glasshouse 1982 7.Opium Gathering 8.Tin Sky 9. Row The Boat Ashore 10.Poison 11.The Spider 12.Flies 13.Boredom 14.Grace 15.Atoms

CD2 1.Borderline 2.Glasshouse 1985 3.My Heroine 4.Let Us Shine 5.Smile 6.Sovereign 7.She May Be Blind 8.Stay In My Heart 9.Laughter 10.Simplicity 11.The Other Side 12.Precious One 13.Career 14.A Passing Pain 15.Glorious Days 16.Surge

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The Brothers Steve – Dose (15 October, Big Stir Records)

Big Stir Records is thrilled to announce the October 15 release of DOSE, the new album from THE BROTHERS STEVE, on CD and all digital platforms.

Featuring the new single and focus track “Next Aquarius”, the record is up for pre-order everywhere including http://www.bigstirrecords.com and http://www.bigstirrecords.bandcamp.com now. The keenly awaited follow up to the LA quintet’s acclaimed 2019 debut #1, DOSE ofers up 10 new songs which take the band’s invigorating punk-pop sound in exciting new directions, folding in elements of psychedelia, glam rock, and even fourishes of chamber pop while retaining all of the energy and charisma that made THE BROTHERS STEVE such an instant favorite on the global pop scene.

Bristling with the trippy energy its title suggests, the new set was written and recorded by frontmen and singer-guitarists OS TYLER and JEFF WHALEN and is fueled by the chemistry of the live band: drummer COULTER (aka author S.W. Lauden) and bassist JEFF SOLOMON (Whalen’s longtime bandmates from the beloved LA pop-rock combo TSAR) and guitarist DYLAN CHAMPION. Tracked and mixed at a secret LA recording studio, DOSE simultaneously captures the band’s irresistible live energy while pushing their gleeful aesthetic into fascinating new territory.

It’s an album of twists and turns and surprises, delights and deception: lead track “Get On Up” opens with an almost lullaby-like acapella harmony passage before exploding into a boisterous, supercharged call to arms for creatures of the night. The closing “Better Get Ready To Go” is cut from the same glam-anthemic cloth, taking unbridled joy in exhorting the listener to “get it on, squeaky Kong,” and “Just put Geppetto to the meadow and let’s get out of here,” it’s emblematic of a record that revels unironically in the fundamental absurdity of rock and roll. “We’re saying things that may seem to make no sense at all, but we’re sincerely convinced of them!” enthuses Whalen.

Playful surrealism and quirky character sketches give the record its shape. Take the Zombies-infected “Mrs. Rosenbaum” (she’s defnitely dead, and maybe a witch), the bubblegum sweetness of “Sugarfoot” (nominally inspired by the frontman of The Ohio Players, of all bands), and the exhilarating boogie “Wizard of Love” (he makes you feel like you’re the passionate one). “It’s heady like a bolt from above” goes one line, and so is much of DOSE, including the driving, post-punky celebration of “Electro-Love” and the ridiculously catchy single “Next Aquarius”: it’s equal parts psychedelic shimmer, punk-rock sneer and pure pop perfection.

There’s mystery in the grooves, too, and that’s where the new record adds texture to the winning formula of #1. The urgent “Grifth Observatory” has all the charge of the best tracks on the debut, overlaid with a layer of old Hollywood intrigue (it’s inspired by the Barbara Streisand A Star Is Born among other infuences, Whalen discloses). There’s the fascinating “She Will Wait,” wherein Tyler and Whalen tell two sides of the tale at the same time, with tender interlocking counterpart harmonies; the “she” of the title may or may not be time itself.

Perhaps most evocative of all is the soaring “Love Of Kings” with its impassioned fairy tale imagery… although Tyler specifes that the narrative takes place 122 years in the future. “There’s a collective mythology here, maybe a sort of future-retro-neo-noir thing” says Tyler, “but it’s fundamentally about sonic delight, a luxurious soundscape.”

Whalen adds that the songs “evoke like an MF… like a T-Rex song, the imagery might mean diferent things to diferent people, but you can tell how excited we are about making the listener feel it along with us.”

Ultimately it’s the hooks, harmonies and instrumental interplay that make DOSE such an intoxicating experience. There’s a leap forward in sophistication and nuance, but the album is just as much of a giddy ride as #1 and just as likely to top year-end “Best Album” lists and indie radio charts worldwide. DOSE is in fact just what the doctor ordered for a world awash in pandemic-era bedroom recordings: a real band fring at the height of their considerable powers, charting new ground and having palpable fun doing it.

THE BROTHERS STEVE made a promise with their debut: “We Got The Hits.” Here are ten more of them.

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Permafrost – Restore Us (Fear of Music, 3 September 2021)

Norwegian-UK post-punk outfit Permafrost presents timely single ‘Restore Us’

Norwegian-UK outfit Permafrost has announced their new single ‘Restore Us’, which includes the original version and two remixes. This will be available as of September 3 via the Fear of Music label with distribution by Secretly Noord.

We’ve become numb to endless conflicts and mountebanks posing as leaders. A figurative plague has divided us for most of the modern era. It took a literal one to bring us together, albeit in the darkest of ways.

One would be forgiven for feeling a little nostalgic for better times about now, and we’re long overdue for a hard reset. With ‘Restore Us’, Permafrost has just released what could be the theme song for the post-lockdown era.

Permafrost was formed in 1982 in Molde, Norway by Frode Heggdal Larsen and Kåre Steinsbu during the first post punk era, taking their name from a Magazine track. They released the ‘Godtment’ EP a year later. Robert Heggdal, Trond Tornes and eventually Daryl Bamonte, who had worked with bands like Depeche Mode and The Cure, rounded out the group.

In 2019, they released the ‘Permafrost’ EP to high praise. The well-received singles ‘Closed Eyes’and ‘Femme Fatale’, both of which reached #1 on the Indie Disko Top40 and top 5 in the Deutsche Alternative Chart and the Native25 chart, were released earlier this year, spending several weeks at the top of many indie charts.

As industry veterans, their long arc provides some crucial perspective as we enter uncharted waters. In fact, ideas for the song have been germinating for three years, with it ultimately coming into focus over the past year. Both foreboding and optimistic, ‘Restore Us’ is less the battle hymn that is usually the stock in trade of the post punks, and more of a face-the-facts statement that it’s time.

The accompanying video’s footage was shot in 1987 by keyboardist Daryl Bamonte, during Depeche Mode’s Music For The Masses tour, while he was working with the band. It shows the energy and enthusiasm of a group on the ascent, in a country concurrently starting its slow decline into the new consumerism era, reaching its logical conclusion when a failed salesman would become president three decades later. A man forged in that epoch, with a commitment to a laissez-faire modus operandi and putting profits over people, became the glaring symbol of our ultimate undoing.

The film takes us back to a time when bands were embracing a “get in the van” lifestyle, while naively passing through the intestinal tract of the beast, getting their kicks on Route 666, during the unraveling of an American Dream that probably never was. As the song concludes, shifting from its dark minor key to one that is more sanguine, we also see oddly foreboding, shaky footage of an airliner.

The emergence from dark times presents opportunities if we take them. Restoration doesn’t have to mean going back to the time portrayed in the video. Were the “good times” really that good, or were we being fooled all along, ignorantly living in our bubbles? As we get back on the road, perhaps we should reconsider the route this time around. The recent reminder that the world is indeed very small and connected can also be an instruction to restore our humanity.

As of September 3, ‘Restore Us’ will be available everywhere online, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, where their other music can also be found. It can be pre-saved on Spotify at http://smarturl.it/Permafrost-RestoreUs 

TRACK LIST
1. Restore Us
2. Restore Us (Pyxis Remix)
3. Restore Us (MAPS Remix)

CREDITS
Written by Permafrost
Produced and engineered by Permafrost
Mixed and Mastered by Paul Corkett
Press release by Alex Maiolo
Video by Mimi Supernova
Film footage by Daryl Bamonte

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The Speed of Sound – The Museum of Tomorrow (Big Stir Records, Release: 17 September 2021)

Manchester power pop outfit The Speed of Sound announces ‘Museum of Tomorrow’ LP, previews lead track ‘Tomorrow’s World’

British underground music veterans The Speed Of Sound have announced the autumn release of their fifth studio album ‘Museum of Tomorrow’, to be issued on CD and Deluxe LP via California’s Big Stir Records, 32 years to the day the band released their debut EP back in 1989.

Ahead of this, the band reveal the lead track ‘Tomorrow’s World’ as a sweet taster of what’s in store for listeners, along with an animated video. The entire 21st century seems to have been mis-sold. This song is a cry of anguish and a re-statement of what should have been. Twelve multilayered synthesizer tracks recreate a flying saucer landing at the end and the ultra-depth in the sound is from bowed bass on the verse-ends and pre-chorus.

From the opening line “We were offered Star Trek, but they fed us Soylent Green” – which is etched into the vinyl – science fiction abounds within the music, positioning The Now simultaneously in the Future and in the Past. We all exist on the edge of forever.

Conceived as two seamless sides, the vinyl edition of this record was mastered as two complete extended pieces: Gallery One and Gallery Two. Korg synthesiser lines, reminiscent of classic Science Fiction incidental music and sound-collages, link the gapless songs.

To date, The Speed of Sound has released eight singles via Big Stir, but ‘Museum of Tomorrow’ is an all-new experience. While each of these 13 new songs could have been a single, they are gathered in an organically homogeneous collection, showcased within the ‘Museum Of Tomorrow’. This is an album made manifest by and for people who like albums.

This is future retro modern music, rooted in a definite 60’s influence but with an 80’s twist. Influenced by The Byrds, Small Faces, The Chords, Siouxsie & The Banshees and XTC, with female and male vocals, The Speed Of Sound merges the power of punk with the floating harmonies of The Byrds. Their sound and alphabetical order places them between Sonic Youth and Dusty Springfield.

The Speed Of Sound formed in Manchester in 1989 with a pre-history dating directly back to the day Andy Warhol died in 1987. Dwelling deep below the ‘music industry radar’ has allowed for the evolution of their own distinct sound, their live act often described totally differently with comparisons from The Stranglers and Television to Jefferson Airplane and The Who.

The Speed Of Sound has continuously produced music that is optimistic and with lyrical bite, a punk-inspired DIY ethos and lust for experimentation rooted in psychedelia. While players have come and gone, the current lineup has largely been the same for four years, including father and son John Armstrong (guitars and vocals) and Henry Armstrong (keyboards), Ann-Marie Crowley (vocals and guitar), Kevin Roache (bass guitar) and John Broadhurst (drums).

‘Tomorrow’s World’ is out on August 13 and will be available via Apple Music and Spotify. On September 17, the ‘Museum of Tomorrow’ LP will be released digitally, on CD and limited-edition 170g heavy weight vinyl with a choice between black and glorious colour. Vinyl orders include a 16-page full-colour A5 printed Exhibition Guide containing lyrics, full-colour inner sleeve, a separate picture insert, a sticker, a pair of badges/buttons and a bookmark. The album can already be pre-ordered in all formats from Big Stir Records’ site.

CREDITS
Written by John Armstrong
John Armstrong – guitars and vocals
Ann-Marie Crowley – vocals and guitars
Kevin Roache – bass guitar
John Broadhurst – drums
Henry Armstrong – keyboards
Recorded at Vibratone Sound Studio, Manchester
Engineered by Adam Crossley and Chris Guest
Mixed By Adam Crossley, Chris Guest and The Speed Of Sound
Mastered by Adam Crossley and Chris Guest at Vibratone Sound Studio
Sleeve front / Artwork by Local Hotel Parking

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Pas Musique – Amateur Radio (Alrealon Musique, 25 August 2021)

NYC’s Pas Musique announce new album, tease ‘Ancient Scottish Legend’ single

Brooklyn-based Pas Musique have announced they will release a new long-player, titled ‘Amateur Radio’. With six new electronic, experimental krautrock-influenced tracks, this one will be available on white vinyl and digitally via NYC-based label Alrealon Musique.

Ahead of this, they present the lead track ‘Ancient Scottish Legend’, taking you on an glitchy and eerie audio-visual trip. Jeanne-Marie Varain, artist and daughter of Jean-Herve Peron of Faust, also collaborates on a cover of ‘It’s a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl’. This Faust cover, developed in 2019 for the ‘KRAUT! Covered’ compilation curated by WFMU’s DJ Scott Williams, is now available for the first time on white vinyl.

The ‘Amateur Radio’ LP is mirrored by the same broadcasting term, using the radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radio-sport, contesting, and emergency communication.

This album was inspired by the collective’s U.S. tour in 2019 and recorded shortly after at Pas Musique headquarters in Brooklyn and mixed by All Real Sound. The tracks are dense and textured, mixing in field recordings captured during that U.S. tour.

Founded by Robert L. Pepper in 1995, Pas Musique emerged from Brooklyn as a solo project around abstract sound. It has since morphed into a collective that has gone through many variations of experimental, electronic iterations. Today Pas Musique is a four-piece consisting of Jon V Worthley, Michael Durek, Jesse Fairbairn and Robert Pepper. Pas Musique has performed in 18 countries and has collaborated with many great musicians, including Faust, Rapoon, ZEV, Philippe Petit, HATI, Chester Hawkins, Jim Tuite and many more. Pas Musique have

This album follows up ‘The Phoenix’ LP (2019) and ‘Inside the Spectrum’ (2015), the title track of which was released by Wire Magazine for its ‘Wire Tapper’ compilation. In 2018, they also released ‘Composited Reality’ in collaboration with Rapoon, based on field recordings from the USA, UK and Indonesia.

As of August 25, ‘Ancient Scottish Legend’ will be available via the label’s Bandcamp. On October 1, the full ‘Amateur Radio’ LP will be released digitally and on white vinyl as a limited edition pressing. It will be available across online stores and streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music, and can be pre-ordered at https://alrealonmusique.bandcamp.com.

TRACK LIST
1  Charlies Lament
2  Don Cheadle Superhero
3  It’s a Rainy Day Sunshine Girl
4  Ancient Scottish Legend
5  That’s What They Said
6  Elderly Women On Black

CREDITS
All songs written, recorded and produced by Pas Musique
Performed by Jon V Worthley, Michael Durek, Jesse Fairbairn and Robert Pepper
Art by The Glue Mill
Mastered by All Real Sound

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Harry Stafford and Marco Butcher – ‘Termite City’ single (Black Lagoon Records – Full ‘Bone Architecture’ LP out Sept. 3)

Harry Stafford (Inca Babies) & punk-blues vet Marco Butcher take on Manchester with ‘Termite City’. Full ‘Bone Architecture’ LP out Sept. 3

Underground music icon Harry Stafford, long associated with the city of Manchester, has teamed up with Marco Butcher for the new ‘Bone Architecture’ album. Ahead of releasing the 12-track effort, they reveal the track ‘Termite City’ with a video featuring Stafford riding through England’s northern capital.

“’Termite City’ is a celebration of the dirty city that always keeps standing no matter what people throw at it. Bombs, Riots, Scottish Football fans, Demolition, bad planning. People love this city and will do everything to protect it and despite their cynicism, they just can’t help themselves but be proud. Show a little love. A city is a termite tower with thousands of people all working to make their way in it. This termite Tower is Manchester; termites even build cathedral mounds,” says Harry Stafford.

“Jazz supremo Kevin Davy plays trumpet on this track and it is one of his finest pieces of work ever, IMO, and one of the best collaborations I have had the fortune to put on my record. The cat can blow.”

Not long ago, the duo released the single ‘There’s Someone Tryin’ To Get In’, which was well received and has garnered the duo press attention and airplay in several dozen countries.

Despite the distance between them Stafford and Butcher are punk soul brothers from the same muddy musical pond. Connecting during a year of ‘lockdown hell’ inadvertently led to their collaboration.

‘Bone Architecture’ is a superb collection of songs that is raw and, at times, an unforgiving forage into urban punk blues with fuzzed up jazz and garage trash rock. Here, Harry and Marco’s styles have clashed magnificently into a powerful record that crosses a multitude of genres but with a dirty blues makeover. The LP includes reworked older material, brand-new compositions and even a dirty blues version of the Pink Floyd classic ‘Arnold Layne’.

Best known as founder, guitarist and vocalist of Manchester post-punk gothic rockers Inca Babies, Harry’s two most recent solo albums (‘Guitar Shaped Hammers’ and ‘Gothic Urban Blues’) reflect a cooler, less frenetic vibe, leaning on piano, trumpets and blues guitar. All this made him the perfect collaborator to set words and lyrics to Marco’s sonic backdrop.  

From Sao Paulo, Marco Butcher now lives in Winston Salem, North Carolina. A prolific artist, his acts include The Jam Messengers, Chicken Snake, and The Jesus and The Groupies. Professing the American underground of blues, jazz, rockabilly and screaming punk blues, he has collaborated with Hugo Race and members of Tex and the Horseheads, Pussy Galore, Gumball, The Gories, Gibson Brothers, Jerry Teel, The Oblivians and The Workdogs.

“There’s something about collaborating that is pure magic to me, cause you’re not sharing ideas at the same time and you’re in the moment. There’s something about the not knowing what the other will bring . . the surprise factor. The fact that music is very elastic and not always the way ya listen to it in your mind but something else, something cooler, greater,” says Marco Butcher.

Marco’s tracks were recorded at his Boombox Studio. Harry laid down vocals, piano and other instruments at Black Lagoon Records. London-based trumpet supremo Kevin Davy added jazz tones into the mix. After engineering, agonising, production and debates, they were finally mastered by Marco.

As of August 20, ‘Termite City’ will be available everywhere online, including Spotify and Apple Music. The ‘Bone Architecture’ LP will be released on September 3 via Black Lagoon Records, both digitally and on CD, now available for pre-order via Bandcamp and the Louder than War shop.

CREDITS
Harry Stafford – vocals, piano, guitar
Marco Butcher – drums, percussion, bass, sax, guitars, vibraphone
Kevin Davy – horns
Written by Harry Stafford and Marco Butcher
Produced and Mastered by Marco Butcher at Boombox Studio
Catalogue no. BLRCD0055

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New Zero God – Live Streaming (Monday 14 June)

After the forced silence that we all experienced due to the pandemic, New Zero God return with a Live Streaming, on Monday, June 14 at 08:00 pm London Time.

The band will play live from Level 69 Live Studio, a selection of songs from the four New Zero God albums, in a Live Streaming that will be broadcast from the band’s facebook pages.

Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/3968513796568101

ABOUT NEW ZERO GOD

Singer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Pougounas, leader of the legendary Greek goth band The Flowers of Romance for 18 years,  and main man for 7 more years of the industrial project Nexus, formed New Zero God in 2006.

As Terrorizer Magazine – UK wrote “his biography reads like the name-droppers guide to goth.”

After working under the production of Wayne Hussey, to the list of the band names Sisters of Mercy, The Mission and New Model Army that Pougounas supported with his previous bands, he added now with New Zero God, Christian Death, The Legendary Pink Dots and Andi Sex Gang.

New Zero God released so far the albums “Fun is a Four Letter Word” (Greece 2010), “Club Bizarre” (UK 2012), “MMXIII” (UK 2013), “Short Tales & Tall Shadows” (LP Greece 2016)

Their latest album “Circus of Tortured Melodies” came out in February 2019 with surprise appearances such as Andi’s from Sex Gang Children , Michael Clayton from Dark Horizon, George Katsanos from Incirrina, Nikos Skiadopoulos from Blues Cargo and others.

NEW ZERO GOD LINE-UP  & DISCOGRAPHY

•             Mike Pougounas – Vocals, keyboards

•             Babis Efthimiou – Drums, programming

•             Akis Nikolaides – Guitars

•             John Psimopoulos – Drums

•             Μichalis Semertzoglou – Bass

•             Studio albums:

o             Fun is a Four Letter Word (Greece 2010)

o             Club Bizarre (UK 2012)

o             MMXIII (UK 2013 – Greece 2014)

o             Short Tales & Tall Shadows (LP, CD, Greece 2016)

o          Circus of Tortured Melodies (LP, Digital Greece 2019)

•             Singles:

o             Second Chance (digital, 2011)

o             The Night Calls Your Name (digital, 2013)

o             Destination Unknown (Digital 2013)

o             Destination Unknown (Limited Collector’s 7” Vinyl Edition 2013)

o             Redemption (Limited 7” split vinyl single with Savage Cut 2016)

o             Under the Influence of Captain Pan Ikatac (MC Custom Made Music USA 2018)

•             Live albums:

•            Zona Pericolosa – Live in Italy (digital, 2015)

•             Compilations:

o             In Your Dreams Again (Cover, Nexus) – Because God Told Me To Do It – Weapons of Magick – Thee Brad Miller Series (USA 2009)

o             Fun Is A Four Letter Word – Lollipop Magazine (USA 2009)

o             Dead Inside – Muz1ne #Δ Γκραντ Φινάλ (GR 2010)

o             Kiss The Witch – Devolution Magazine – Issue #30 (UK 2011)

o             Lap Of The Universe – Gothic Visions III (GER 2011)

o             Dead Inside – The Blackout Crypthology (UK 2012)

o             Lap Of The Universe – Sombrati Records – An Earth In Darkness (BRAZIL 2012)

o             In Dreams We Trust (Rat Mix) – A Deadfall Compilation, Volume 1 – Darkness Descends (UK 2013)

o             Intoxication – The Greek Underground Scene – 2013 Compilation (GR 2013)

o             Damaged – Xperiment XIII – Wicked Trax (AUS 2013)

o             Freakshow – A Deadfall Compilation, Volume 2 – Shadows Rise (UK 2013)

o             Until The End Of The Line – Intravenous Magazine’s Blood Pack, Vol. 1 (UK 2014)

o             Deadfall: Dark Secrets (UK 2014)

o             For the Bats Vol. 2 (USA 2015)

o             Voices from Mislealia Vol. 1 (Italy 2015)

o             Pen Like A Knife -A Deadfall Compilation, Volume 4 – : Absolution [UK 2015]

o             Broken Halo – The Unquiet Grave 2019 – Cleopatra Records [USA 2019]

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Chelsea Wolfe releases new single “Diana”

Chelsea Wolfe today shared her spine-chilling new single “Diana,” inspired by Wonder Woman in DC Comics’ “Dark Nights: Death Metal” comics, off the forthcoming Dark Nights: Death Metal Soundtrack out digitally on June 18th via Loma Vista Recordings (physical LPs out July 16th) executive produced by Tyler Bates (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Watchmen,” “John Wick”).

“It has been such an honour and delight to be involved in this whole project, from contributing a song to the soundtrack, to voicing Wonder Woman for the DC Comics Sonic Metalverse episodes. I really love the story and artwork of this Dark Nights: Death Metal series, and felt really drawn to Diana’s part in the story – her strength and perspective,” says Wolfe. “There’s this moment in the first comic book issue where she meets with Wally West and he’s so drained from his travels and all he’s had to do. I picked up on this intimate energy between them that felt almost romantic, but more just like two old friends who have an understanding between them – a moment of comfort and respite amongst all the fighting and chaos. I ended up writing this song about that encounter. Working with Tyler Bates on ‘Diana’ was a great experience. He’s obviously so killer at creating music that feels like the soundtrack to your own movie, so between him and my co-producer Ben Chisholm there was this elevated sonic landscape surrounding the song that just brought it to a different level.”

“Diana” follows two previous Dark Nights: Death Metal Soundtrack singles—Maria Brink’s “Meet Me In The Fire (Feat. Andy Biersack)” and Mastodon’s “Forged By Neron.” The soundtrack is available for pre-order on digital download, CD, and 2xLP-with exclusive Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman vinyl variant covers, 11 limited edition character trading cards, and more HERE.

 

The Neverlutionaries – S/T (Polychromatic Records February 12, 2021)

The Neverlutionaries’ self-titled debut LP album is an unfiltered expression of the heart that seamlessly straddles moods and genres.

The brainchild of multi-instrumentalist songwriter Christopher Harold Wells and bound by his distinctively soulful timbre, the eponymous 11-song + bonus track release tints hook-laden alternative rock with psychedelia, shoegaze-y jazz, and subtle funk.

“The only parameter that I set for myself is that, at some point in the process, I got to get some kind of goosebumps,” Wells explained. “That’s like the cosmos’ way of letting you know you’re onto something.”

Having originally made his name in the vibrant North Carolina music scene (notably with Peasants of the Apocalypse), Wells has been performing, recording and producing in San Francisco for the last few years.

As well as songwriter, he’s also an exceptional melodic rock vocalist, bassist and guitarist. Wells currently divides his time between SF and Nashville.

Testament to Wells’ stylistic versatility and open-mindedness is a resume that includes playing in The All Time Low Stars with Peter Keys of Lynyrd Skynyrd; working with everyone from Lauryn Hill to Bubba Sparxxx; and opening for the diverse likes of Metallica, Aquarium Rescue Unit and Def Leppard. Not one to chase trends, his music has always been hard to pigeonhole.

“The longer you write, the more you kind of dial yourself in and hopefully come into what your sound is to be,” offered Wells. “But with my sound, there are so many parts that make it up because I dig a lot of different kinds of music.”

His influences include everything from the church choirs of his youth, to Rush and Tool; Kaskade and The Cure, to The Mars Volta, Massive Attack, and even Joy Division. But he reserves perhaps most respect for artists like Prince and Jimmy Page, who’ve mingled multiple genres while maintaining the essence of their expression.

The Neverlutionaries comprises a core line-up of regulars at San Fran’s legendary Hyde Street Studios, augmented by an all-star cast of guest players. Constants are SF staple and frequent Wells collaborator Chris McGrew of Pamela Parker’s Fantastic Machine on drums; fellow Fantastic Machiner Ryan Hickey on keys; and former Psychefunkapus guitarist Jonnie Axtell. For future touring, blazing Nashville six-stringer Kenny Olson (Bootsy Collins, Sheryl Crow etc.) and original Brian Jonestown Massacre member Ricky Maymi are tapped to join them.

Helmed by #1 Billboard charting producer Jaimeson Durr (Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani etc.), The Neverlutionaries was recorded in Hyde Street’s storied Studio C, where classic albums by the Grateful Dead, Santana, and Creedence Clearwater Revival were cut. The LP is preceded by otherworldly balladin-waiting “Ariana” on October 2.

“‘Ariana’ represents that concept of a dream love. Upon finally meeting her, what would I say? How would I feel inside that moment, and what would those feelings sound like?”

In a modern music landscape choked with bands making music to match commercial expectations, The Neverlutionaries mark a refreshing return to simply, yet expertly, just doing what feels and sounds right, free of creative margins.

“Write what is in your heart and stay true to who you are,” Wells concluded. “I’m not singing from my ego as I once did. Music is very sacred to me and I feel you have to honor it by letting it come from a real place inside of you.”

First single “Ariana” dropped in October and was accompanied by a music video in December, second single “Stumble” was released in January with Neverlutionaries live-stream events and – once safe to do so – touring planned to further support their debut LP.

The Neverlutionaries’ self-titled debut was released by Polychromatic Records on February 12, 2021

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