quête:light

Arriving at a time of considerable uncertainty in the world, Son Lux's multi-album 'Tomorrows' is ambitious in scope and intent. Born of an active, intentional approach to shaping sound, the music reminds us of the necessity of questioning assumptions, and of sitting with the tension.

Ryan Lott, Rafiq Bhatia, and Ian Chang train their sights on volatile principles: imbalance, disruption, collision, redefinition. But for all of its instability, Tomorrows’ exploration of breaking points and sustained frictional places is ultimately in service of something rewarding and necessary: the act of questioning, challenging, tearing down and actively rebuilding one’s own identity.

The band remains audibly indebted to iconoclastic artists in soul, hip-hop, and experimental improvisation who themselves carved new paths forward. Distilling these varied influences, Son Lux searches for equilibrium of raw emotional intimacy and meticulous electronic constructions.

- Tomorrows I-III, triple physical album, released previously digitally only
- Featuring the singles “Plans We Made”, Only, Prophecy, Live Another Life and A Different Kind Of Love
- More than 90 minutes music on 3CD and 3LP

Recorded in the spring of 2010 and then mysteriously abandoned by Prince before its release, the statement album Welcome 2 America documents Prince’s concerns, hopes, and visions for a shifting society, presciently foreshadowing an era of political division, disinformation, and a renewed fight for racial justice. The album features some of Prince’s only studio collaborations with the bassist Tal Wilkenfeld, drummer Chris Coleman, and engineer Jason Agel, with additional contributions from New Power Generation singers Shelby J, Liv Warfield, and Elisa Fiorillo and keyboardist Morris Hayes, who Prince also recruited to co-produce the album. The vinyl edition has the 12 songs spread across three sides on 2 LPs in gorgeous gatefold packaging, with a custom etching on the fourth side.

• “Choctaw Ridge” explores a new country sound, one that emerged at the end of the 60s in the wake of Bobbie Gentry’s ‘Ode To Billie Joe’, a shock number one hit in 1967. When singers like Gentry, Jimmy Webb, Michael Nesmith and Lee Hazlewood moved from the south to Los Angeles to make it in the music business, they were not part of the Nashville in-crowd and they forged a new direction.

• ‘Ode To Billie Joe’ was the tip of the iceberg, and its success helped a bunch of singers and storytellers to emerge over the next three or four years. Some of the tracks on this collection bear that song’s stamp more clearly than others: Sammi Smith’s moody ‘Saunders’ Ferry Lane’ had a similar mystery lyric, and Henson Cargill’s ‘Four Shades Of Love’ is a portmanteau, with one (or possibly two) of the theoretically romantic situations ending in death.

• Suddenly, character sketches of southerners became a lot more rounded – women didn’t have to stay home, or take abuse at the office, and darkness wasn’t only found at the bottom of a bottle. Storytelling is the link between all of the songs on this collection. We have cautionary tales about what could happen to someone who heads for the bright lights and doesn’t make it, ending up in the grasping hands of ‘Mr Walker’ (Billie Joe Spears), or on the ‘Back Side Of Dallas’ (Jeannie C Reilly), or on a mortuary slab in the case of the songwriter with the ‘Fabulous Body And Smile’ (Robert Charles Griggs). And there are stories about wanting to go home – Nat Stuckey’s ‘What Am I Doing In LA?’ and Charlie Rich’s ‘Feel Like Going Home’ – and others from Ed Bruce and Lee Hazlewood, who know that their home isn’t home anymore.

• The tracklist and fulsome sleeve notes have been put together by Bob Stanley (Saint Etienne) and Martin Green (Smashing, The Sound Gallery), who have been collecting these records for decades.

• The voices are resonant and relatable, and the productions take in the best of what pop had to offer in the late 60s and early 70s. Before the factionalism between smooth pop-conscious Nashville and the hedonistic ‘outlaws’ made it look inward again, this was a golden era for an atmospheric, inclusive and progressive country music. It began on the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day.

Golden Earring were active for 50 years from 1961 until 2021. Their final line-up still included two founding members George Kooymans (vocals and guitar) and Rinus Gerritsen (bass, keyboard) along with Barry Hay (vocals, guitar, flute and saxophone), a member since 1968, and Cesar Zuiderwijk (drums), a member since 1970. They have had over 40 hits and 30 albums, many achieving either gold or platinum status in their home country, The Netherlands. They are best known for their 1973 hit single “Radar Love” and their 1982 single “Twilight Zone”.

To The Hilt was released in 1976 and is considered to be one of their most complex albums. More than half of the songs are over 7 minutes long and musically the songs are very diverse. It is the last record that features Robert Jan Stips on keyboards. This reissue will come with a gatefold sleeve.

The album is available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on silver coloured vinyl, and includes an insert.

WOLF Music welcomes Amsterdam’s Retromigration to the family with a five-track summertime sizzler, ready-made for hazy parkside sunsets and beach jaunts alike.

Hotly tipped and rarely skipped, Retromigration has been lighting up the scene with a string of killer releases over the past 18 months on labels like Healthy Scratch, Ltd, W/Lbl, GLBDOM and Ravanelli Disco Club.

Flexin’ that signature chopped and looped style across the EP, the A side is a double dose of house joints via ‘Bloom Street’ and ‘Brining It’, the former a bumpin’ New York nodding cut, the latter an synth heavy roller.

Flip it to find a more jazz-tinged affair but with its feet still firmly in the house domain. ‘Free Spirit’ channels a groove that could last forever, with a bass and keys combo that riffs away any creeping anxieties, before Arthur Dudley joins for ‘One Night With Colin’ a late night, smoked out, jazz joint trip.

‘Slick Walkin’' closes out the EP – a lesson in how to make samples dance any which way you want them to, as piano melodies flicker over a double nice bassline and tasty synth touches.

A DAY IN THE LIFE – is the first chapter of a dedicated series fully curated by Steve Bicknell for KR3.

This bold new work by the veteran English artist provides an insight into the mind of the artist.

Side A features three tracks by The Evader, another face of Steve Bicknell.

An obscure intro leads us straight to the point: 4/4 sounds, repetitive and hypnotic, not afraid to be heavy.

In fact, that’s the point: to take everything that is a burden to us and embrace it. After all, there can be no light without darkness.

On Side B, Steve Bicknell has a killer approach. A parallel rail to Side A, with a more furious, still gloomy attitude. He moves in the same direction but vents different emotions. The sound is harder, rawer, faster and more impetuous. An outro ends the EP, as if to represent a circle closing: The first lap inside A Day in the Life.

The System 108 anniversary record sums up the label's five-year work without words. The new collection is an impression of everything that the team has become during its existence. System 108 has matured nominally and stylistically, defining for itself three main directions: post-industrial, techno and break-beat, disco and house. Each of the three parts of the new collection reveals one of the musical trajectories of System 108 development: Part 1 is a dark story that covers the genres of new beat, EBM, acid, new wave, with a light touch in Goa trance by Mashkov.

GRAZ, das Debüt Album von Nils Frahm. Was, wie bitte? Wer den Klaviervisionär und -virtuosen schon einmal im Konzert erlebt hat, wird bereits wissen, dass Nils auch gelegentlich den einen oder anderen Scherz macht, ohne dabei eine Miene zu verziehen. Die Pointe kommt dieses Mal etwas verzögert: Graz ist tatsächlich das erste Studioalbum, das er schon 2009 für das Londoner Label aufgenommen hat. Nur ist dies irgendwie unter Verschluss geblieben - bis jetzt. Nils Frahm hat in aller Ruhe die gesamte Musikwelt auf den Kopf gestellt; er hat die jahrhundertealte Figur des Pianisten-Komponisten neu definiert, sie ins Jetzt überführt - für eine vollkommen neue Generation. Während seine Musik über Mundpropaganda immer mehr Menschen erreichte und in ihren Bann zog, kehrte auch sein Instrument zurück in den Fokus der Popkultur. Eine Entwicklung, die ihn und einige Gleichgesinnte im Jahr 2015 dazu inspirierte, den jährlichen Piano Day ins Leben zu rufen. Einen neuen Feiertag im Kalender, der eine der größten Erfindungen der Menschheitsgeschichte zelebriert. Mit Aufnahmen, die den Menschen und dieses Instrument in den Mittelpunkt rücken. Graz ist so eine Aufnahme. Eine bislang unveröffentlichte Momentaufnahme eines jungen Nils Frahm, mitgeschnitten im Jahr 2009 im Mumuth, dem Haus für Musik und Musiktheater der Kunstuniversität Graz, als Teil der Abschlussarbeit Conversations for Piano and Room, produziert von Thomas Geiger, der dafür im selben Jahr den 1. Preis in der Kategorie Classical Surround Recording der 127. AES Convention in New York in Empfang nehmen durfte. Zwar wurde damals beschlossen, jene Graz-Sessions am Konzertflügel beiseite zu legen, um sich stattdessen auf die gedämpften, ganz intim klingenden Klavierexperimente zu konzentrieren, die dann 2011 auf seinem gefeierten Studioalbum Felt zu hören waren. Jedoch sollten zwei der Kompositionen - und das gilt ganz besonders für Hammers - in seinen Livekonzerten weiterleben und sich erweitern; neu aufgenommen für Spaces, jenes Album, das ihm 2013 endgültig den Durchbruch bescherte. Graz dokumentiert den Moment, der ganz am Anfang jener wortlosen Revolution steht, die Nils in den Jahren danach auslösen sollte. Sein Genie, die Essenz seiner Handschrift ist schon hier zu erkennen: der harmonische Ausdruck der Klassik, die Unmittelbarkeit des Jazz. Es wirkt so, als würde Nils jede Idee für sich aufgreifen, ganz behutsam, nur auf den Moment konzentriert, um auch ja nicht die Muse wieder zu vertreiben.

Private Space, the group's third album, is a previously untapped vibe at the heart of The Indications. Pushing beyond the boundaries of the funk and soul on their previous releases, Private Space unlocks the door to a wider range of sounds and launches boldly into a world of synthy modern soul and disco beats dotted with strings. It's an organic, timeless record that's as fresh as clean kicks and familiar as your favorite well-worn LP. Developed after being apart for much of the year, Private Space is creatively explosive and delights in upending expectations. Its 10 tracks are both an escapist fantasy and a much-needed recentering after a tumultuous 2020. Throughout, The Indications highlight a collective resiliency - as well as the power of a good song to be a light in the darkness. Durand Jones and The Indications have long provided the soulful soundtrack for such deep thoughts, both on stage and on your turntable. But as the world slowly resets from the chaos of the past year, Durand Jones and The Indications' Private Space is arriving at just the right time.

Following on from their 'Junction EP' at the tail end of last year, My Nu Leng return to provide a selection of rave-tinged cuts that further cement their status as one of the leaders in the bass music scene. Following a packed-out summer tour diary, the 'Alter EP' consolidates elements from the duo's previous releases and influences into five tracks of low-end damage. Harking back to the pair's underground roots with inspirations from Techno, House and Breakbeat, opener 'Spaced' sets the tone.

Featuring their classic bass growls amongst hardcore pad stabs, an acid-esque synth line and raucous interjections from legendary drum & bass MC GQ, this one's designed to make you move. Takura returns to Maraki on 'Echoes', lending his distinctive vocals over a lethal distorted bassline and uncompromising 2-step beat. 'City Lights' provides momentary respite, a scintillating arpeggio motif over blissful chords and an enchanting vocal hook. My Nu Leng team up with DRS on 'Sinking Sand'. The Mancunian host leads the charge into a warping climax, showcasing his penmanship through relentless triplet flow. 'Signal' closes off the EP in sombre fashion, atmospheric synths and lamenting strings building into an emotive vocal and reflective bassline.

Available on CD and 180gram heavyweight gatefold LP.
Noura Mint Seymali hails from a Moorish musical dynasty in Mauritania, born into a prominent family of griot and choosing from an early age to embrace the artform that is its lifeblood. Yet traditional pedigree has proven but a stepping-stone for the work Noura and her band have embarked upon in recent years, simultaneously popularizing and reimagining Moorish music on the global stage, taking her family's legacy to new heights as arguably Mauritania's most widely exported musical act of all time.
Arbina is Noura Mint Seymali's second international release. Delving deeper into the wellspring of Moorish roots, as is after all the tried and true way of the griot, the album strengthens her core sound, applying a cohesive aesthetic approach to the reinterpretation of Moorish tradition in contemporary context. The band is heard here in full relief, soaring vocals and guitar at the forefront, the mesmerizing sparkle of the ardine, elemental bass lines and propulsive rhythms swirling together to conjure a 360 degree vibe. Arbina refines a sound that the band has gradually intensified over years of touring, aiming to posit a new genre from Mauritania, distinct unto itself, music of the "Azawan."

Supported by guitarist, husband and fellow griot, Jeiche Ould Chighaly, Seymali's tempestuous voice is answered with electrified counterpoint, his quarter-tone rich guitar phraseology flashing out lightning bolt ideas. Heir to the same music culture as Noura, Jeiche intimates the tidinit's (Moorish lute) leading role under the wedding khaima with the gusto of a rock guitar hero. Bassist Ousmane Touré, who has innovated a singular style of Moorish low-end groove over the course of many years, can be heard on this album with greater force and vigor than ever before. Drummer/producer Matthew Tinari drives the ensemble forward with the agility and precision need to make the beats cut.
Many of the songs on Arbina call out to the divine, asking for grace and protection. "Arbina" is a name for God. The album carries a message about reaching beyond oneself to an infinite spiritual source, while learning to take the finite human actions to necessary to affect reality on earth. The concept of sëbeu, or that which a human can do to take positive action on their destiny, is animated throughout.

Lyrically, the Moorish griot tradition is complex and associative. Poetry is held in a continuum between author and audience in which a singer may draw on disparate sources, selecting individual lines here or there for musicality to form a lyrical patchwork expressing larger ideas via association. A griot may relate her own thoughts and poetry, sing poetry written for and about her by a third party, and transmit lines from one party addressing another in the course of a single song. With this ever-fluid narrative voice, stories are told.

Previously known for his progressive trance works, van Wyk has spent a lot of his time as of late composing for the film industry. In 2013, his solo output switched to more pastoral forms of neo-classical leaning ambient with his first full-length Days You Remember, before moving into more piano-based composition for Attachment (2016) and Opacity (2017).

Threads does reflect some of his previous ambient works; however, the album shows van Wyk composing music for (and of) current times. There is a much-welcomed underlying beauty to Threads, but there are also threads of anxious- ness and unwavering intensity throughout its forty-minute run-time. It's an engaging listen full of texture where each piece takes you on an engrossingly escapist journey.

Marta Gabriel is known as the front woman of heavy metal power force CRYSTAL VIPER, who recently released a brand new studio album, „The Cult”. Except that she’s a seasoned session musician, and either was a a guest on albums, or appeared on stage with acts as VADER, MANILLA ROAD, JACK STARR’S BURNING STARR, MAJESTY and WITCH CROSS. Technically, ”Metal Queens” is her first solo album, although it’s a very unusual release. „Metal Queens” is a celebration and tribute to female singers and female fronted heavy metal acts of the ‘80s. The original Metal Queens !. LINE UP: Marta Gabriel - lead and backing vocals, bass guitar Eric Juris - lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars, choirs Cederick Forsberg – drums and percussion, choirs SPECIAL GUESTS: John Gallagher (RAVEN) – bass guitar on ”My Angel” Harry Conklin (JAG PANZER) – vocals ”on «Light In The Dark” Todd Michael Hall (RIOT V) – vocals on ”Call Of The Wild”

WOLF JAW were born in the depths of the Black Country, UK. Home to greats such as Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and half of Led Zeppelin to name a few. These bands are heavy influences that have sparked The raging fuzz fueled, groove fired, Riff machine WOLF JAW Having toured with bands such as Crobot, Scorpion child, Jared James Nichols, Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown, Stone Broken among others, as well as festivals such as Download, Amplified, Steelhouse and Stone Free under their belt its given Wolf Jaw time to truly master their own unique twist on the power trio formula. 2019 brought a new album entitled 'The Heart won't listen' that is full of muscular riffs mixed with soulful vocals and pounding rhythm. Initially released in 2018, WOLF JAW are re-issuing their debut album ’Starting Gun’ with bonus tracks : "We're super excited to be re-releasing our debut album, 'Starting Gun' via Listenable records. This album was an amazing starting point for us and we still love playing these songs live. In fact we've added 2 live tracks to this version of the album, both were recorded at a live streamed show we did in the first UK lockdown of 2020. We have also recorded a cover of Judas Priests 'You've Got Another Thing Coming' which will be on the CD and available digitally. We're glad this record has got a new home and can't wait to get out there and play these songs live again! » Coming from the same area that gave birth to Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin, WOLF JAW display the similar class of a future great in English Metal/ heavy rock !. WOLF JAW were born in the depths of the Black Country, UK. Home to greats such as Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and half of Led Zeppelin to name a few. These bands are heavy influences that have sparked The raging fuzz fueled, groove fired, Riff machine WOLF JAW Having toured with bands such as Crobot, Scorpion child, Jared James Nichols, Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown, Stone Broken among others, as well as festivals such as Download, Amplified, Steelhouse and Stone Free under their belt its given Wolf Jaw time to truly master their own unique twist on the power trio formula. Kerrang! Magazine stated Wolf Jaw housed “riffs dirtier than a bucket of double-fried chicken !! ” .

Since making her debut with the 2011 album Weightless, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Becca Stevens has tested the limits of musical identity, mining everything from jazz to Irish folk to indie-rock in her striving for complete and authentic expression. In her latest musical endeavor—the five-track EP WONDERBLOOM and a soon-to-follow full-length of the same name—the North Carolina-bred, Brooklyn-based artist again defies all expectation, this time dreaming up a groove-heavy, dance-ready sound infused with elements of pop and funk and R&B. But despite its brighter textures and uptempo rhythms, WONDERBLOOM finds Stevens achieving a profound complexity in her lyrics, ultimately redefining what’s possible in creating music that elevates and edifies. Centered on the captivating vocal presence she’s showcased as a member of David Crosby’s Lighthouse Band, WONDERBLOOM telegraphs an unabashed joy that Stevens partly attributes to the project’s production. In a bold new turn for her musical career, Stevens co-produced and co-engineered WONDERBLOOM alongside Nic Hard (Snarky Puppy, Ghost-Note, The Church), overseeing every aspect of the recording and claiming a sense of agency that had long eluded her in the studio. “Nic and I were truly working as equals and trusting each other to get the job done, and it was an incredibly empowering experience for me,” she says. In another major departure, Stevens purposely brought a communal sensibility to the making of WONDERBLOOM —an undertaking that resulted in more than 40 musicians contributing to the album, including Vulfpeck guitarist Cory Wong, Jacob Collier, and all of her Lighthouse bandmates (i.e., keyboardist Michelle Willis, Snarky Puppy bandleader Michael League, and David Crosby himself).

light blue vinyl + CD

Detest returns to PRSPCT with a 10-track album showcasing the wide range of influences that have informed his productions and DJ sets for more than 10 years.

Since signing to the legendary Strike Records in 2005, Detest has been turning in hardcore banger after banger for labels like Deathchant, Rebelscum, Peace off - and PRSPCT, of course!

Paying homage to the past and his roots in tracks like "Oldschool Thrash" and "Sleep Knowledge", Glamorous Cool Kids Stuff is a listening album and party record combined, full of dynamic shifts in moods, tempos and styles.

From teasing industrial beginnings via plenty of signature Detest dancefloor slayers, and even a cinematic synth reprieve in "Movie XXL", this is best experienced from start to finish.

The Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition Original Soundtrack features over one hour of ethereal, surreal and organic music created specifically for the exploration of the Salt's surreal world. Blending eclectic electronic scores with sweeping, melodious soundscapes, Thommaz Kauffmann's score is like taking a ride into a new, wonderous land.

Dandara's light but incredibly strong presence was the starting point for all the sound presented in this album, consisting of a soundtrack that sounds hopeful and melancholic at the same time. Her lonely journey into the corrupted regions of Salt narrates each gesture made to fight the fears deep inside the Salt's most uncharted caves.

The textures and musical aesthetics in this soundtrack match a world that suffers from its abandonment to spontaneity, creativity, and vitality. It is with the presence of Dandara that there is a break in these standards imposed in Salt by an authoritarian regime.

Wrapped up in a beautiful, sturdy tip-on gatefold with a rough, black and white aesthetic, this vinyl 2xLP comes with two "Salt" white 180g in two printed inner sleeves.

Composed, produced and mixed by Thommaz Kauffmann

Artwork by Luísa Almeida

Game developed by Long Hat House

Published by Raw Fury

Silver Lining Music to release the first project by Saxon's Biff Byford and son Seb Byford of Naked Six. On July 23rd 2021, there’s going to be a new rock ‘n’ roll sheriff in town, and as their name suggests, Heavy Water aren’t for the light-hearted. Soaked in gritty, riff-baked blues, yet rich with the sound and metre of classic hard rock, Red Brick City’s ten songs refuses to let you go. From the taut, elastic swing of the ‘Solution’ riff to the rich, layered balladic strains of ‘Tree in the Wind’, Red Brick City moves with the class and cadence of a cracking journey uniting vintage rock ‘n’ roll sensibilities with the crackle and excitement of a fresh, youthful perspective.

With Seb on guitar and Biff on bass duties and both providing their vocal talents the foundations for Heavy Water’s sound are set in both that incredible father/son chemistry and a lifetime of know-how and experiences. Take the title track -and first single- ‘Red Brick City’, all steam and smoulder wrapped around a riff Soundgarden would’ve been proud of, and then there’s the sun-soaked smile of ‘Follow This Moment’ with harmonies evoking the Beach Boys relayed through Led Zeppelin, a gorgeous ‘70’s trip right down to the fade out. Produced by Seb Byford and Biff Byford, with Jacky Lehmann mastering, Red Brick City is a rich, lustrous ride through profoundly rewarding rock waters.

Multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Dan Friel is unrivaled in his capacity to inject blistering noise and energy into ferocious pop songs. A champion and mainstay of the NYC underground, Friel the has played alongside the likes of Lightning Bolt and Black Dice as well collaborated with acclaimed string quartet ETHEL. Upper Wilds channels Friel's unbreakably ebullient spirit into mountainous rock music dripping with molten fuzz. The trio's exploration of the interstellar expands in parallel to their increasing levels of bombast and precision. Venus synthesizes the experimentation of debut Guitar Module 2017 and the thunder of 2018's Mars into ten lean chunks of cosmic rock laden with scorching hooks. On Venus, Upper Wilds rocket lovestruck anthems centered around the planet named for the Roman goddess of love at full tilt from the moment "Love Song #1" makes liftoff. The album's incendiary opening trilogy crashes with a relentless vigor and addictive melodies. The rhythm section of bassist Jason Binnick (who also mixed the album) and drummer Jeff Ottenbacher tear through off-kilter riffs that pound with meteoric impact. Friel's guitar sputters and froths beneath his voice before soaring into frenetic leads that pack every moment with powerful melody. Alien croons and glitching spasms spill out of Friel's wild, filtered humming, amplified into oblivion. Venus' few moments of respite lay bare the raw efficiency and beauty of Friel's songwriting, like transmissions home to loved ones thousands of miles away slipping through the crackle and chaos of space. Venus traverses the havoc, mystery, and joy of humanity's countless follies in both space and love. Both cosmic and human, Venus is a deeply affecting celebration of the wonders of what is beyond comprehension internally and externally. Upper Wilds' Venus is an exhilarating odyssey of tremendous exuberance and a testament to human resilience in the face of the unknown.

Dead Nature, the solo project of former Spring King singer and prolific producer (The Big Moon, Calva Louise, Circa Waves, Dream Nails, Genghar, Police Car Collective) Tarek Musa, is announcing the release of debut album Watch Me Break Apart, and sharing the video for new single “Hurricane”. It follows the boisterous, sky-high indie-pop dramatics of recent single “Red Clouds”, which drew support from BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, Clash, DIY, Dork, The Line of Best Fit, NME, The Independent, and The i Paper.

Producer and songwriter Tarek Musa has for a long time placed himself at the centre of other artists’ worlds, helping to hone sounds and build scenes through his production work for artists such as The Big Moon, Genghar, and Dream Nails, Calva Louise, Police Car Collective - as well as providing remixes for the likes of Circa Waves. As BBC Radio 1's Jack Saunders noted recently on-air, "we owe a lot to him out here... he's putting the passion from Spring King into the future of the alternative music that we love." With Dead Nature, Musa allows himself to step back from his role as architect for others and set about pursuing his own creative impulses.

Throughout Watch Me Break Apart, internal anxieties are made external, and re-purposed into a carnival of multi-coloured, fuzzed-up indie-pop. The strain of social media and a whirlwind news-cycle compound on the album’s cartwheeling title track, pairing thoughts of sleepless nights with isolated imagery (“A car waits at the lights, no one’s in the driver’s seat / In the ocean stands a tree”). "50 Foot Wall" and the paradoxically light-hearted "Hurricane" were both written against the backdrop of a growing climate crisis, and "Ladlands" zeroes in on social and political struggle, the rate at which change is happening, and the reality-warping nature of the echo-chamber.

Guro Gikling from All We Are sings backing vocals across the whole album, except for Hurricane which Jess Allanic from Calva Louise appears on.

Dead Nature, the solo project of former Spring King singer and prolific producer (The Big Moon, Calva Louise, Circa Waves, Dream Nails, Genghar, Police Car Collective) Tarek Musa, is announcing the release of debut album Watch Me Break Apart, and sharing the video for new single “Hurricane”. It follows the boisterous, sky-high indie-pop dramatics of recent single “Red Clouds”, which drew support from BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, Clash, DIY, Dork, The Line of Best Fit, NME, The Independent, and The i Paper.

Producer and songwriter Tarek Musa has for a long time placed himself at the centre of other artists’ worlds, helping to hone sounds and build scenes through his production work for artists such as The Big Moon, Genghar, and Dream Nails, Calva Louise, Police Car Collective - as well as providing remixes for the likes of Circa Waves. As BBC Radio 1's Jack Saunders noted recently on-air, "we owe a lot to him out here... he's putting the passion from Spring King into the future of the alternative music that we love." With Dead Nature, Musa allows himself to step back from his role as architect for others and set about pursuing his own creative impulses.

Throughout Watch Me Break Apart, internal anxieties are made external, and re-purposed into a carnival of multi-coloured, fuzzed-up indie-pop. The strain of social media and a whirlwind news-cycle compound on the album’s cartwheeling title track, pairing thoughts of sleepless nights with isolated imagery (“A car waits at the lights, no one’s in the driver’s seat / In the ocean stands a tree”). "50 Foot Wall" and the paradoxically light-hearted "Hurricane" were both written against the backdrop of a growing climate crisis, and "Ladlands" zeroes in on social and political struggle, the rate at which change is happening, and the reality-warping nature of the echo-chamber.

Guro Gikling from All We Are sings backing vocals across the whole album, except for Hurricane which Jess Allanic from Calva Louise appears on.

Romantic Images, Molly Burch’s third album, marks a distinct evolution for Burch, both emotionally and sonically. Recorded in Denver with Ten - nis’ Alaina Moore and Pat Riley producing, the collection celebrates the timeless delights of a well-crafted pop song, flirting with Blondie, Madonna, and even Mariah Carey as it forges a joyful soundtrack to liberation and self-discovery.

Burch deliberately worked with more women collaborators than ever before on the album, and the results are transcendent, reveling in the passion and the power of the divine feminine. The collection prioritizes ecstasy and escape, and Burch’s commitment to collective catharsis in her lifted, airy delivery manages to exude both thoughtful introspection and carefree abandon all at once. The shadow still lurks on the album, to be sure, but the light ultimately wins, and the result is an intoxicating collection all about coming into our truest selves.

Composer, multi-instrumentalist, poet, griot, improviser and community
leader William Parker presents a pair of brand new trio albums which further expound on his limitless vision.
One of the iconic and enduring music leaders to emerge in the world over the
last half century, William Parker continues to raise the bar higher.
‘Mayan Space Station’ is his first electric guitar trio album, and features Parker
on bass, alongside Ava Mendoza (electric guitar), and Gerald Cleaver (drums).
Cosmic multi-hued blues, perfect for space and time travel. The unparalleled
rhythmic firmament created by Parker & Cleaver is matched by Mendoza in full
flight. All of the promise imagined by a trio recording of these musicians with
compositions by Parker is delivered to the fullest.
Mendoza’s prodigious talents have illuminated many projects and recordings
as both leader and collaborator over the past decade. As is certainly clear here,
she is committed to bringing expressivity, energy and a wide sonic range to the
music. Gerald Cleaver is an exceptionally gifted poet of drum sound who can
play in the deepest of pockets and manifest all manner of sound to perfectly fit
contours within the most open of forms.
Cleaver & Parker have worked closely on numerous projects, notably within the
nonpareil full-improvising trio, Farmers By Nature, together with Craig Taborn.
William Parker is in vibrant grandmaster blossom here on double bass - in both
pizzicato & bow-as-prism modes.
William Parker: bass, compositions,
Ava Mendoza: electric guitar,
Gerald Cleaver: drums

"His desperate need for a torrent, a precipice, a railroad track - no matter what, but instantly - made him appeal for the very last time to the topography of his past. And when, in front of him, a grinding whine came from behind the hump of the side street, swelling to full growth when it had overcome the grade, distending the night, already illuminating the descent with two ovals of yellowish light, about to hurtle downward - then, as if it were a dance, as if the ripple of that dance had carried him to stage centre, under this growing, grinning, megathundering mass, his partner in a crashing cracovienne, this thundering iron thing, this instantaneous cinema of dismemberment - that's it, drag me under, tear at my frailty - I'm travelling flattened, on my smacked-down face - hey, you're spinning me, don't rip me to pieces - you're shredding me, I've had enough...Zigzag gymnastics of lightning, spectogram of a thunderbolt's split seconds - and the film of life had burst." One-time vinyl pressing (no digital). Recommended for fans of Werkbund, Main, General Elektro, Heith, Experimental Audio Research.

"Emotional Rescue and HMV Record Shop (Japan) present the 2nd DISCO REGGAE LOVERS with the music of Haile Maskel and his 101 Band and their cult Jamaica meets America reggae disco bomb Crazy Kind Of Feeling, in it's super rare 7" Mix.

Heralding from the furtive 60's Trenchtown, Jamaica, Michael Ashley aka Haile Maskel grew up around music, recording his first sessions with friend Bob Marley, alongside the likes of Peter Tosh, Robbie Shakespeare and Carlton Barrett.

Working with Lee Perry, he joined Light Of Saba, while touring with Dennis Brown and Sugar Minott led him overseas, settling in Los Angeles in 1983 and soon launching his Opulence (Sound) label.

The label's in house project, Maskel's 101 Band mixed a conscious message in love song, crafted around a boogie discodub. Coming as 7" and 12" (ERC101) releases, here the single is presented alongside the true dub version.

Dub Take 2 was discovered when the original master tapes were recently unearthed and while the recent 12" reissue featured an "instrumental alternative mix", Dub Take 1, this 7" includes a real dub version, cutting and dropping back and forth between drums, bass, key, vocals and horns in a cool excursion for the heads."

Emotional Rescue and HMV Record Shop (Japan) present Red Cloud and their roots disco rarity I Want To Be Free, with it's even scarcer dub version Freedom, together on 7" for the first time as part of the DISCO REGGAE LOVERS series.

This Brixton based band appeared on Emotional Rescue last summer with their Double Talk / Dubble Dub 12" (ERC102) rightly shining a light on their underrated output. Releasing on Tuff Gong, Red Stripe and Dancefloor the band released two albums and numerous singles of warm, rock-soul touched British roots sound system shakers.

I Want To Free / Freedom only appeared on the B-side of their super rare debut 12". While the A side's Double Talk was 'inna Lovers Disco style', here they keep the groove but explore the righteous stance of Pan African-Caribbean culture of the time, with a call for equality and fairness.

Centred around the writing of Keith Drummond and drummer / producer Specs Bifirimbi, plus support from founder Floyd Lloyd Seivright, it is in the dub version, Freedom, that the interplay of keys and drum and bass shine, a rock-reggae-disco bomb.

Clear Vinyl

Freddy Fresh is a legend. Period. From a plethora of 12“es on labels like Nu Groove, Drop Bass Network, Forced Nostalgia, Spaziotempo, Lone Romantic or Toolbox Killers to albums on 90s scene mainstays like Harthouse, Anodyne or Eye Q to countless releases on his own imprints like Howlin Records, Analog Records USA and Electric Music Foundation. From remixes for the likes of GusGus, Heaven 17, Kitachi, Steve Stoll, Frankie Bones and many more to hitting the UK Top 40 with the massive BigBeat smasher „Badder Badder Schwing“
produced alongside Fatboy Slim. The man has done it all. Nearly.
And therefore Intrauterin Recordings is proud to present the first ever Drum'n'Bass release in the more than 30 year spanning career of the one and only Freddy Fresh!
With „333“ Freddy Fresh is going down a twisted, hard stepping and yet positive alley of what the man himself refers to as Modular Drum'n'Bass that is unmistakably cooked up live and direct in his Minneapolis-based studio. Expect a whirlwind of swirls, swooshes, bleeps and FX alongside raw junglistic beats and the most positive Synth bass motif you've heard in a long while.
Yet the singles' main dancefloor smash is to be found on the flip side. „Watch It Go Roun Roun“ is a raw classic, a heavy original JumpUp banger driven by a killer vocal performance by Mike Gates a.k.a. Mikey Dredd. Likely better known to many for his Techno productions on labels like Kanzleramt, Creation Rebel or Howlin Records rather than for his MC skills this is the very first time Mikey Dredd's secret love for taking up the microphone as a proper Jungle / Drum'n'Bass MC is officially recognized and revealed on wax as a late tribute to and
honoration of a large scale talent which passed away way too soon in 2019. Lighter crew!
Initial pressing will be limited to 225 copies on 7“ whitelabel vinyl. Hand-stamped with stickered cover.


b B1: Watch It Go Roun Roun featuring Mikey Dredd

This is Music of the Future… Faster than Light & Tuned in Perfectly. This is the Evolution of Revolution This is Spaced Out!!
... Bliss on the Dancefloor

Following their last release, The Day Before Halloween_an imaginative, distorted-synth-driven concept album_Atmosphere returns with a refreshing new project, simply titled WORD? Steering back toward their signature sound, the album further highlights producer Ant's undeniable talents as the project leans into the classic boom-bap aesthetic, bringing a unique energy out of Slug's wisdom, wit and delivery. From onset, WORD? proves to be every bit an exercise in refining and advancing their craft as it is a harkening to earlier work. That is, while their releases have grown more broodingly cinematic, and increasingly concerned with the human condition and mortality, WORD? manages to reintroduce moments of levity and lightheartedness throughout, an approach seldom heard on their albums of late. From album opener "Fleetwood," with its razor-sharp snares and warm fleshy bassline, to the resonant melody of "Clocked", there are strong hints of Atmosphere's nascent years within the sound. Meanwhile, songs like "Woes", "Strung" and "Vanish" cheerfully make light of daily hardships, but they're more likely to be remembered for making listeners want to bob their heads and sing along. With Slug and Ant directing the course, the album plays like a joyride through a range of experiences and emotions, with an extensive cast of special guests hopping in and out along the way, including Evidence, Muja Messiah, Musab, Nino Bless, Nikki Jean, Anwar HighSign, BlackLiq, Sa-Roc, Haphduzn, Lateef the Truthspeaker, Aesop Rock, and the late MF DOOM (RIP). The result is a project that feels like it came from the era or, perhaps more fittingly, the mindset that created albums like God Loves Ugly, Seven's Travels, or the popular Sad Clown series, while sounding as polished and perfected as more recent albums like Mi Vida Local or Whenever. Ultimately, WORD? pairs the breadth of Atmosphere's talents with the beauty of their growth, all while showing they still have a lot of fun in the process and don't mind letting the listener in on the fun as well.

Thomas Köner is one of the most influential modernist minimal composers. Alongside Wolfgang Voigt's "Gas" project, Köner has been centrally responsible for electronic music's fascination with depth and reduction. His signature sound is vast, seemingly endless, which at first seems homogenous and infinite, but once exposed to it, when our senses calibrate to the fine nuances of changes, we discover and immerse into abundance of textures, richness of modulations and almost infinite range of sonic titilations. Köner's work was inspired by his frequent travels in the Arctic, and listeners feel his music as a journey to mysterious worlds of the Arctic region. The experience of being exposed to the extreme cold, the hightening of our senses and ability to notice even the slightest changes in color, sound, light or density that creates this dangerously reductive environment, is like an immersion in the sonic world of this German artist, where masterfully crafted layers of sound open into colossal spaces, teeming with aural life, waiting to be discovered by those who venture into it. The titles of Köner's highly regarded albums from the 90's ever so often play with this affinity - Nunatak, Permafrost, Teimo - all reference to the world of the Artic region, just as his album Nuuk that points us to the capital of Greenland. Subdued and minimal at first glance, this album is brimming with low-end frequences, shadowy resonances and boreal ambience, but at the same time, constant fluctuation and vulnerability of sonic events, makes it very organic, human and almost comforting, like the tiny harbour existing in the sea of ice, it is named after.

Hilton Felton was a jazz organ player from Norfolk, Viriginia. “A Man For All Reasons” is his signature album from 1980, now impossible to find on LP vinyl. It includes the 'rare groove' jazz funk dancer “Be-Bop Boogie” recorded at the same studio as Gil Scott-Heron's "The Bottle”. This limited edition, individually numbered issue is in the original sleeve, copies from it’s year of release now fetching over £200

"Certain loud guitar rock records serve as brain erasers, a form of shock therapy zapping through aural inputs and (to mix metaphors) cleaning the proverbial clock. Lightning Bolt is one such thing." - LA Times Since their first moment it seems like they've been as electric as their name suggests. Lightning Bolt, their first album, captures that energy in a raw form. Famously lo-fi, this is the album that's been described as most feeling like being at one of their shows. It's difficult to listen and not want to jump with the crowd it feels like must be huddled around the amp producing an incredible wave of noise, astonishingly coming from just two musicians. You can hear the threads of their later work; use of repetition, a sense of grinding and building, noise melting to guitar solos. This album is loud, and the riffs repeated become mesmerizing as they warp slowly thru the songs. Long saught after, this record has not been available new on vinyl since it's first pressing. This edition includes songs which have never before been released on vinyl. A must have for any Lightning Bolt fan, or really anyone who loves noise.

For nearly two straight years following the release of their critically acclaimed debut, Chasing Lights, Ida Mae lived on the road, crisscrossing the US from coast to coast as they performed hundreds of dates with everyone from Willie Nelson and Alison Krauss to Marcus King and Greta Van Fleet. And while those shows were certainly formative for the electrifying British duo, it was what happened in between — the countless hours spent driving through small towns and big cities, past sprawling suburbs and forgotten ghost towns, across rolling plains and snow-capped mountains — that truly laid the groundwork for the band’s transportive new album, Click Click Domino. Written primarily in the backseat of a moving car, the record embodies all the momentum and possibility of the great American unknown, offering up a series of cinematic vignettes full of hope and disappointment, promise and regret, connection and loneliness. The songs on Click Click Domino are raw and direct, fueled by an innovative mix of vintage instruments and modern electronics, and the performances are loose and exhilarating to match, drawing on early rock and roll, classic country, British folk, and 50’s soul to forge a sound that’s equal parts Alan Lomax field recording and 21st century garage band. Turpin and Jean produced the album themselves, recording primarily on their own in their adopted hometown of Nashville during the COVID-19 pandemic, and while the collection is certainly bolstered by appearances from high profile guests like Marcus King, Greta Van Fleet’s Jake Kiszka, and Ethan Johns, the heart and soul of the record remains Ida Mae’s intoxicating chemistry, which has never felt more vibrant, ambitious, or self-assured. Now married, Turpin and Jean first met a little over a decade ago while attending university in Bath. The pair bonded immediately over their love for the sounds of bygone eras, and they quickly earned rave reviews everywhere from the BBC to the NME with their raucous first group, Kill It Kid. Starting over fresh as a duo named for Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee’s “Ida Mae,” the first song they ever harmonized on, Turpin and Jean relocated to Nashville in 2019 and released Chasing Lights to similarly widespread critical acclaim. Rolling Stone hailed the album’s “stomping swirl of blues and guitar-heavy Americana,” while The Independent lauded its “retro lustre” and “impressive experimentation,” and NPR’s Heavy Rotation called it “tightly drawn, harmonic and hypnotic.” The music helped the earn the duo a slew of support dates with the likes of Greta Van Fleet, The Marcus King Band, Blackberry Smoke, Josh Ritter, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and The Lone Bellow, as well as performances at Bonnaroo, the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Germany’s Reeperbahn Festival, and Switzerland’s Zermatt Unplugged.

"Behold! Arise! Vast distances from Earth’s dimension, in a galaxy millions of light-years away, the WIZARDTHRONE resurges! Traversing vivid sci-fi multiverses in the spirit of H.P. Lovecraft via comprehensively established technical death- power- and symphonic black metal, Hypercube Necrodimensions (out July 16 via Napalm Records) is a bombastic journey through hyperspace and otherworldly realities. Featuring members of ALESTORM, GLORYHAMMER, AETHER REALM, FORLORN CITADEL, NEKROGOBLIKON and more, the musical brilliance of WIZARDTHRONE is absolutely undeniable. Title track “Hypercube Necrodimensions” is a hard-hitting, astronomically technical trip through portals of the Euclidean reality, entering the fifth dimension with whirlwinding synth and guitar leads. Throughout the runtime of Hypercube Necrodimensions, WIZARDTHRONE effortlessly sear from one fast-paced sonic romp to another, evident with frost-bitten “Frozen Winds Of Thyraxia”’s orchestral blast beats, or “Forbidden Equations Deep Within The Epimethean Wasteland”’s incredibly elaborate, multi-faceted songwriting. Hypercube Necrodimensions finds its grand finale in the extensive 14-minute sci-fi experience “Beyond the Wizardthrone (Cryptopharmalogical Revelations of the Riemann Zeta Function)”, taking you through the prismatic light of the twin stars of Thyraxia into the cathartic revelations of WIZARDTHRONE’s cosmos! Featuring guest appearances from Aleksi Munter (SWALLOW THE SUN/INSOMNIUM), Florian Magnus Maier (DARK FORTRESS/ALKALOID) and Evan Berry (WILDERUN), Hypercube Microdimensions is a spectacular display of WIZARDTHRONE’s musical finesse, constantly pushing the boundaries of heavy metal and thus offering a one-of-a-kind Extreme Wizard Metal listening experience!

Demon Records presents Distortion: Live, the fourth and final edition in a series of expansive vinyl box sets chronicling the solo career of legendary American musician Bob Mould.
Bob Mould’s career began in 1979 with the iconic underground punk group Hüsker Dü before forming the beloved alternative rock band Sugar and releasing numerous critically acclaimed solo albums. The final volume in the series features 8LPs of live recordings from across Mould’s solo career.
8 LPs including –
• 4 live albums – Live At The Cabaret Metro, 1989 (first time on vinyl), The Joke Is Always On Us, Sometimes, LiveDog98 (first time on vinyl), and Live At ATP 2008 (first time on vinyl)
• Each album is presented with brand new artwork designed by illustrator Simon Marchner and pressed on 140g clear vinyl
with unique splatter effects
• Bonus LP Distortion Plus: Live which features live rarities including B-sides and stand-out tracks from the Circle Of Friends concert film
• Mastered by Jeff Lipton and Maria Rice at Peerless Mastering in Boston Plus -
• A 28-page companion booklet featuring: a new and exclusive foreword by Bob Mould; an interview conducted by journalist Keith
Cameron; an exclusive testimonial from Bully’s Alicia Bognanno; rare photographs and memorabilia

This is one of the evergreen albums of 80’s style hair band rock that transcends the years and 2021 is the 30th anniversary of the release. evoXS is releasing Lean into It - The Singles 7” box set, which includes four 7” coloured vinyl singles with their European picture sleeves: ‘Just Take My Heart (edit)’, ‘Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (The Electric Drill Song)’, ‘To Be With You’, ‘Green Tinted Sixties Mind’, plus the bonus single ‘Strike Like Lightning’ from the movie Navy Seals, which has never previously been released on 7” vinyl.

Hitting number two in the UK album chart and with over a billion streams, in Dissimulation KSI creates space for both his public persona and the personal: big hit features with the likes of Rick Ross and Lil Baby (Down Like That) and AJ Tracey (Tides) sit alongside more intimate, honest tracks. No stranger to defying expectations, Dissimulation received critical acclaim. Clash labelled it “an excellent body of work”; “he’s absolutely smashed it” proclaimed Metro.

It’s no surprise that KSI has been seen on the cover of The Sunday Times Magazine and Music Week; The Observer Magazine, Viper and Notion. Other labels and artists want a piece of the KSI pie too: just look to the success of his features on S1mba’s Loose and Nathan Dawe’s BRIT nominated Lighter. 



With his second album on the horizon, a 2021 tour which sold out in seconds, the launch of his own label and a single with Craig David (Really Love), Anne-Marie (Don’t Play) and YUNGBLUD (Patience), KSI is proving that music is very much his domain. 



KSI brings with him the unrelenting work ethic and infectious energy which YouTube instilled in him. Despite his debut’s success, he’s certain Dissimulation just scratched the surface: the next record, he’s clear, will showcase his artistry’s further progression again. Given FAULT Magazine described KSI as “one of 2019’s biggest success stories - “an emergent hip-hop star” said The i - all eyes will be on his follow up. KSI’s task - writes The Observer - is “not just to make “YouTube rap” but the real thing”. Their verdict? “Mission accomplished.”

Pleasure is a Sydney based music project that utilizes distorted synths, irregular drum beats and fluid song structures to create energetic and hypnotic pieces that straddle the line of bright and abrasive.The trio is comprised of Adam Connelly (synthesizers + vocals) Jonathan Boulet (bass guitar + fx pedals) and Hugh Deacon (drums). When playing live and on record, their music is improvised and unrehearsed with no laptops or backing tracks. “One of us will introduce an idea and the rest will follow.”

Their debut LP Saint Albans, was conceived and recorded in a small farm house in the town of Saint Albans, New South Wales, over 3 days from the 12th to the 14th of October 2019. The building has since burned down in the 2019 Australian Bushfires. “We came away from this session with close to 20 hours of material that we edited down into consumable pieces.” This is the case for all tracks except BRAIN WASTE 191013 which was left intact and unedited.

They launched the Australian release of the album by playing a 6 hour endurance set in a warehouse in Sydney’s Inner West. “Our sonic influences seem very obvious but we haven't been called out yet. Mainly Boards of Canada, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Aphex Twin, Fuck Buttons, Blanck Mass and Lightning Bolt.”

Tonnon produced the album with longtime collaborator, and The Beths’ guitarist and producer, Jonathan Pearce. Tonnon wrote the bulk of the songs during an extensive period of touring after the release of Successor - a period where Tonnon performed with Nadia Reid in Europe, The Veils in the USA, and The Chills, The Phoenix Foundation and Don McGlashan in New Zealand. The pair workshopped songs between tours, often recording new parts as the live versions developed.

Tonnon and Pearce recorded between 2017 and 2020, and in that time, Tonnon’s practise evolved heavily. He incorporated new technology into his set, including the Wellington-designed Synthstrom Deluge, which allowed him to adapt his set for new performance environments;Art Galleries, Museums, even New Zealand Fashion Week. He took that technology further when he collaborated with the Otago Museum on the immersive show for Planetariums, A Synthesized Universe, which travelled to Arts Festivals around New Zealand in 2019.

Creating a music video for ‘Old Images,’ which explored a lost passenger train network, Tonnon came to the idea for a new experience-based show called Rail Land. It took audiences on railways to reach distant community halls around Aotearoa. The show saw Tonnon combine historical research and spoken word narrative, with the immersive lighting and musical technology he developed for A Synthesized Universe. In March, Rail Land finished a three-night run at Auckland Arts Festival, cementing Tonnon’s move to the concept show.

Over time, Tonnon and Pearce’s production moved further from the traditional rhythm sections that powered songs like Successor’s ‘Water Underground.’ In their place came off kilter electronic rhythms, like the beat in ‘Two Free Hands,’ and textures that blur lines between organic and synthesized sound. Guitars are set against synthesizers, and drums against drum machines in ‘Entertainment’ and ‘Peacetime Orders,’ which Tonnon also used in his soundtrack for RNZ’s 80s spy-themed podcast The Service. In ‘Leave Love Out Of This,’ a ballad starts with a piano and a string quartet, but ends in a wall of electronic sound.

The constant has been Tonnon’s lyrics. Whether singing about evolution and the future of work in ‘Two Free Hands,’ the television industry in ‘Entertainment,’ or environmental disaster and regulatory failure in ‘Mataura Paper Mill,’ Tonnon has followed a distinct approach to subject matter, description and phrasing that have seen him longlisted for the APRA Silver Scroll three times.

Tonnon’s explorations of local government and civic infrastructure in his work - an unusual preoccupation for a songwriter, have taken new meaning in his adopted home of Whanganui, where last year, he was elected by councillors as Whanganui District Council’s representative for public transport.

After Tonnon moved to Whanganui, and Pearce toured almost constantly after the success of The Beths’ first album, the pair conducted their collaboration over distance, but with key sessions at Pearce’s Karangahape Road studio, including drums and bass with long time band members Stuart Harwood and David Flyger, a string quartet led by Charmian Keay and arranged by Matthew Bodman, and additional drums with The Beths’ Tristan Deck.

As Leave Love Out Of This is released, Tonnon and Pearce find themselves in very different places to where they started, working on Auckland’s Karangahape Road, close to the venues like Wine Cellar and Whammy Bar where they regularly performed. Back in New Zealand since Covid, Pearce has had to adjust to being in one of Aotearoa’s best-known bands, while Tonnon, when not working on conceptual shows, wrestles with how to restore civic infrastructure to a post industrial city in the regions.

Created over a life-altering period of, Leave Love Out Of This is the culmination of years of experimentation and development - with new technology, new sounds, and new ways of creating, and performing music.