Tracks: January 20th, 2025

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We don’t dip our toes into live event promotion that often, especially these days, but we were happy to pitch in a little bit in helping our friends at The Invisible Orange in presenting the Vancouver stop on the Lana Del Rabies and God Is War tour that’s just wrapping up. We had a solid turnout (especially for a noise show on a weeknight), vibes were good, and the performance from the artist behind our favourite album of 2023 was fantastic. We’ll talk about it in a bit more detail on the podcast later this week, but it’s legitimately rewarding when something you had even a small hand in bringing to fruition comes off so well. On to this week’s tracks!

Oh Ye Gods!

Minuit Machine, “Cent Fois”
The speedy and decidedly bright EBM programming of the latest single from the reformulated Minuit Machine brought all manner of high-gloss Euro electro from a while back (think [:SITD:] or Timewave-era Grendel) but there’s no mistaking Amandine Stioui’s vocals for anyone else’s. Short almost to a fault, the contrast between the precision of the programming and the airy, almost whimsical tone of the vocals has us wanting more in this style, or maybe an extended club mix at least.
CENT FOIS by Minuit Machine

Analog 80, “The Ghost of Skinny Puppy”
Belgian producer Analog 80 pays tribute to Canada’s greatest musical export (suck it Bryan Adams) on this appropriately titled cut from the forthcoming LP The Ghost of Silicon. Not a straight up homage, it’s a song that speaks to the more atmospheric and percussion driven numbers of the band’s early catalogue – think “Stairs and Flowers” – while integrating it with Analog 80’s own new beat inspired style of body music. A fine bit of moody electro-industrial that recalls plenty of mid-90s scene cuts from the likes of Zoth Ommog, a flavour we never tire of. 
The Ghost Of Skinny Puppy by Analog 80

Henric da la Cour, “Hey You, Hell No”
It’s been 7 years since Sweden’s Henric de la Cour released an LP, and he’s not wasting time in the lead-up to the release of My Bones, Your Ashes at the end of the month; with first taste “Dead Hank” last week, we’ve now got two additional tracks to check out, the orchestral ballad “Interlude” and “Hey You, Hell No”, which is giving off some mid-90s Depeche Mode type vibes. The one-time Yvonne vocalist has been missed in the HQ during his absence, with his first record especially holding a special place in our hearts, thanks in no small part to de la Cour’s excellent lyrics and emotionally honest delivery. Expect a full review in just a few weeks once we get to hear the whole thing. 
My Bones, Your Ashes by Henric de la Cour

SARIN, “No Anesthetic”
Unlike many of the producers who jumped onto industrial techno, SARIN has stayed relevant to our interests by showing he’s a lot more than four on the floor club bangers. Take for example new cut “No Anesthetic”, which aside from it’s wormy acidic synthline doesn’t have much in common with most techno; instead it’s a low-tempo atmospheric cut, that makes the most of a spooky vocal sample and some clattering metallic percussion. Great stuff, and an excellent taster for this year’s as yet unnamed 12″ release.
No Anesthetic by SARIN

Ye Gods, “Kochari”
Antonio Maiovvi’s Ye Gods project made a massive impression on us with its 2022 LP Babalon Works. Linking considered but not wilfully obscurantist occult themes with Maiovvi’s equally considered and sculpted approach to beatmaking, it was wildly different from the giallo style of work through which we first came to know Maiovvi, and instead brought the softer sides of Coil and Ulver to mind. The electro-pastoral soundscape of this taster from forthcoming LP The Arcane & Paranormal Earth has us looking forward to finding out what new textures and concepts that record will bring; watch this space for a full review soon.
The Arcane & Paranormal Earth by Ye Gods

Sophrosyne, “Scorpionic”
Sophrosyne’s 2021 debut LP remains one of the most interesting releases related to industrial metal we’ve ever covered at ID:UD, taking the aesthetic underpinnings (if not the actual sound) of cybergrind into the future, linking gabber, noise, and extreme metal with irreverent zeal. The new Scorpionic EP carries on from that point, with tracks like As before, if you’re into Cattle Decapitation (the band, not the crime), old gabber records, and roguelikes, you’ll likely love this.
SCORPIONIC EP by Sophrosyne

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DJ Surreal – January 19, 2025

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Invader Zim – Opening Theme Mix
Infected Mushroom – Converting Vegetarians
Stormkern – Stand Up
Solar Fake – Fuck You
Wolfsheim – Heroin, She Said
Tragic Error – Tanzen
VNV Nation – Retaliate
Rotersand – Exterminate, Annhiliate, Destroy
Faderhead – TZDV
Combichrist – Prince of E-Ville
Aesthetic Perfection – Gods & Gold
A Perfect Circle – Counting Bodies Like Sheep
Filter – Hey Man, Nice Shot
Deftones – Passenger

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Observer: Freddy Ruppert & Brood Faye

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Freddy Ruppert - i dreamed we lost everything
Freddy Ruppert
i dreamed we lost everything
Static Definitions
A far cry from his lo-fi synthpop work in Former Ghosts and the tortured noise of his early This Song Is A Mess But So Am I recordings, the recent releases from Freddy Ruppert have taken a haunting, halting approach to noise and sound collage, much more Sylvian or The Caretaker than power electronics. The Prague-based producer’s latest, i dreamed we lost everything, makes the most of a light touch to synthesis, sampling, and crackling atmosphere across a half hour of understated but varied listening. From the unease produced by the Soliloquy for Lilith-like hums of “all things left unsaid” to the pastoral arpeggios of the title track, Ruppert’s taken the time to think about how sound design feeds into composition and vice versa. There’s no one-size fits all approach to either though, with the oddly peaceful and dusty industrial ambience of of “shoeboxes” being worlds apart from the quavering way closer “memory leak (lost voices)” unfolds with cinematic grace. Legitimately affecting and surprisingly relistenable experimentation.
i dreamt we lost everything by Freddy Ruppert


Brood Faye
The Tank
self-released
It’s hard to draw a bead on California’s Brood Faye; the music on debut LP The Tank fits broadly into the current wave of electronics that draws from both darkwave and EBM, but with an alternately sardonic and riled-up attitude that feels pretty singular. It’s not hard to imagine hearing a cut like “Pinyon Prick” with its whispered vocals and speedy rhythm programming in a club setting, but its not a mode that the project sticks to for long, with follow-up “Me and Larry” transitioning into a punky bit of funky electro with yelled vocals that fill out the mix. That departure is nothing next to a full-on squelchy electro country and western number of “Farrah Fawcett”, which itself comes after the chillingly matter-of-fact monologue of ambient interstititial track “Muhannad Posts and Troy Voicemail”. Whether on the manic, spitfire rhymed vocals of “Gov Psy Op” or the comparatively straight mid-tempo swing of “Sweet Assassin”, Brood Faye keeps things lean, DIY and unpredictable, all qualities we could use more from the dark alt scene at large.
The Tank by Brood Faye

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We Have A Technical 541: Wisdom & Moss

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Double Echo

Double Echo

The first classic, two albums formatted episode of the new year has us looking at the finely balanced ethereal darkwave of Double Echo, and the immediate and genre-hopping techno-EBM work of Alen Skanner. We’re also talking Terminus, the passing of Manufacture’s Brian Bothwell, and the prospect of a new NIN tour. As always, you can rate and subscribe on iTunes, download directly, or listen through the widget down below.

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INVA//ID, “The Agony Index”

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INVA//ID - The Agony Index

INVA//ID
The Agony Index
self-released

The on-again, off-again path LA’s INVA//ID’s taken since starting up some seven years ago has both built a sense of intrigue around Christopher Rivera & co.’s hardcore inflected approach to classic industrial rock and metal and something of a sense of frustration. The band will drop a release with no warning and then vanish for months on end, and that’s not to mention the task of navigating the reworking, repositioning, and at times flat out deleting of previous releases. To their credit, new LP The Agony Index was announced more than a year ago and has been scaffolded with an archival release, plus a pair of standalone singles over 2024, including a cracking version of Wax Trax deep cut “Show Me Your Spine”, which was a regular presence in our DJ sets. Seeing release on New Year’s Day, The Agony Index is an unrelenting, everything and the kitchen sink release which, while at times unwieldy, underscores why so many in the North American industrial world have had INVA//ID’s name circled for several years.

If INVA//ID’s rep for hardcore-tinged industrial suggests either Youth Code or the one-off EP from supergroup Error to newcomers, they won’t be entirely shocked by the downtempo industrial dub and skittering rush of the pair of sub-two minute tracks which open the record, but there’s plenty more in store. Few acts today are as good at refreshing sounds most will associate with classic Wax Trax releases, and the way that “Torn” piles up a stack of grimy basslines and programming should be catnip to fans of 90s industrial rock in general. A tune like “Auto Erotic Transmission” finds a nice balance between those elements and hardcore, linking Rivera’s anthemic bile to a nodding, Psalm 69 era Ministry groove.

Spend enough time with The Agony Index and the more organic and original qualities of INVA//ID come through. “Empty” ranks among the best and most ambitious pieces INVA//ID’s yet produced; building its groove bit by bit out of soupy drones, there’s been enough bleepy and stuttering programming and well paced kicks added by the time its plainly delivered chorus hits that it stands out as the rare electro-industrial slowburn of a quality only a handful of current acts could craft. On the flip side, late album highlight “G.F.M.” points to a whole other strength: doling out pure and simple industrial thrash for its own sake, no muss, no fuss.

If The Agony Index has a failing it’s in its editing, or lack thereof. It’s not that a handful of the tunes which abutt highlights like the above tracks are decidedly weaker than them, it’s that in the context of a 65 minute, 17 track monster of a release like this it’s often difficult for the moods or subtler distinctions in those tracks to stand out. On the one hand, that’s good value for money and one can understand the band wanting to deliver something of real significance after a lengthy (by their standards) gestation period. On the other, it can somewhat occlude the tight and fierce immediacy which is one of the band’s calling cards. In any case, unwieldy or not, The Agony Index offers all manner of payoff for those who’ve been holding out for its release, and a solid introduction for those just catching wind of INVA//ID.

Buy it.

The Agony Index by INVA//ID

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Soft Vein, “Through Blinds”

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Soft Vein
Through Blinds
Artoffact Records

The 2023 debut album from Soft Vein was an exercise in miserablism; it had solid songwriting and thoughtful production, but the universally bleak and depressive tone of the affair is what sticks out when recalling Justin Chamberlain’s darkwave debut. New record Through Blinds tweaks the project’s approach towards a more melancholic direction, no less downcast, but avoiding the pitfall of having mood and atmosphere completely overshadow its charms.

Like the debut, Through Blinds weds bleak monochrome textures and mournful vocals to solid rhythm programming and swatches of synth and guitar, with things kept cool and tempered even at higher tempos. Where it largely differs is in how effectively it those elements are kept in balance, with some of the brighter sounds shining a light through its shadowy temperament. Tracks like “Gray Space” let synth bass and drum programming act as a proper foundation, never succumbing to the swells of discordant pads, with brighter leads accenting and adding melodic dimension to the proceedings. Similarly, the arp that runs through “Oblivion” has a warmth to it that acts as a pulsing heartbeat, allowing Chamberlain to underplay his vocals, the song kept minimal in arrangement but intriguingly emotional.

Those traces of light certainly don’t cause the album to approach anything like happiness however; make no mistake this is still a gloomy affair. Even in its most propulsive moments like “Wasting Days” and “Black Bag” keep minor key sadness in focus, anchoring their gated snares and thrumming bass with longing and wistful vocals and cloudy pads. The tension between how tempo-forward the programming is and how generally dejected Chamberlain sounds is a pocket of sorts – when the album dips into more ambiguous rhythmic territory as on closer “Dreaming”, the effect is more striking simply for how infrequently Soft Vein succumb entirely to despair.

With those glimpses of hope that come out through the heartsick fog shining ever brighter for avoiding being snuffed out, Through Blinds becomes almost hopeful in temperament. It’s overcast and often doleful, but allows for the suggestion that better days might still be on the horizon. It could be the fraught moment in time, but that’s a comforting thing for a darkwave record to being in these early days of 2025.

Buy it.

THROUGH BLINDS by SOFT VEIN

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Tracks: January 13th, 2025

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Well hey everyone, we’re already halfway through January this week, which might not seem like much, but given that this is usually a slower time of year for releases, it means we’re rapidly burning through our annual catchup time as we digest that list lingering bits of 2024. Things have started strong in Our Thing with a few choice releases (many of which have been or will be written about here shortly) and album announcements, and as always we’re keen to see what direction the year takes us, and what acts familiar and new will grab our attention. As always if there’s something we’re sleeping on, let us know in the comments below. Tracks ahoy!

Ash Code

Laibach, “I Want to Know What Love Is”
Slovenian industrial OGs Laibach have been a lot of things over the years, but their most memorable schtick has always been the recontextualization of pop and rock songs in their own, gravelly voiced style. In recent years, and thanks in no small part to now longtime collaborators Silence, they’ve gotten very good at making their chosen covers lush and lovely, as is the case with this version of Foreigner’s dad-rock (Dadbach if you will) staple “I Want to Know What Love Is”. One of the Senior Staff’s partners noted some Leonard Cohen-isms in the arrangement and performance, and damn if they weren’t spot on. Lighters up y’all.
I Want To Know What Love Is by Laibach

Kite feat. Nina Persson, “Heartless Places”
Tear-jerking Swedish synthpop faves Kite have been on a productive kick lately; the release of singles EP VII last year on Dais Records and a US tour would have been plenty for low-output-high-quality duo, but all of a sudden we’ve got a brand new single featuring Cardigans vocalist Nina Persson. With the last batch of Kite originals having been more on the low-key heartbreaking vibe, it’s nice to hear something a bit more propulsive if no less evocative. Hopefully it’s not long before their next missive, we like having ’em around.
Heartless Places (feat. Nina Persson) by Kite

Ash Code, “Living For The Sound”
As we head into 2025 with no sign of the ongoing omnipresence of darkwave ebbing, it’s nice to have a strong entry like this from now-veterans Ash Code. They’ve had a great balance of dark guitars and synths on lock from day one, and have been levelling up their songwriting while maintaining fantastic atmospheres, and this cut is no exception. Whether or not this cut which exemplifies those qualities will literally point to the trio’s first LP in a decade or not, we’re happy to be reminded of the band’s enduring power.
Living For The Sound by Ash Code

Obscure Formats, “Basilisk”
The reactivation of Component Records is welcome to those of us who remember the label’s pioneering work in codifying technoid as an intersection of IDM and post-industrial music some twenty years back. But in its new incarnation the label hasn’t stayed pat, and releases like this one from Snowbeasts side project Obscure Formats shows the payoff of the veteran curatorial instincts Rob Galbraith brings to the label and Galbraith’s own productions like this one. Part classic EBM, part current techno, part millennial French electro, there’s a lot of resonance woven into this dead simple, acidic banger.
Cryptid by Obscure Formats

Korine, “Anhedonia”
Just last week on the podcast we were discussing the forthcoming Korine album A Flame in the Dark and wondering what direction it would take the Philadelphia indie-post-punk-synthpop band. If “Anhedonia” is anything to go by, turns out it’s the same bright, hooky pop they’ve been doing for a while, but with some added electronics and lots of shimmery, dreamy production for flavour. Korine have written some of the most damnably catchy songs of the last couple years between their two previous LPs, we’d put money on this new one continuing that trends.
A Flame In The Dark by Korine

Sleep Forever, “Shine A Light”
Speaking of bright pop, we know from previous releases that Markus Weber likes to use his Sleep Forever solo project as an opportunity to dig into bouncy and colourful synthpop which would be out of step with his usual business as part of austere and at times quite harsh darkwave outfit Veil Of Light, and the first taster from the second Sleep Forever full-length only underscores that. Coming across like an early 90s OMD single if Andy and Paul had spent a bit more time in Ibiza rather than Merseyside, “Shine A Light” bodes well for Alter Ego.
Alter Ego by Sleep Forever

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Observer: Osccurate & Give My Remains To Broadway

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Osccurate
Computer Decay
Synthicide
The three original tracks and two remixes offered by Colombian artist Osccurate on recent EP Computer Decay are varied in style and approach, reflecting the wide variety of body music approaches the project has tried on thus far. Most notably unique in this regard is opener “The Witch and the Moon”, which finds room for spidery Flamenco-adjacent guitar melodies between it’s thudding mid-tempo EBM rhythm and swooping filter sweeps, the incongruity between organic and electronic sounds creating a tangible feeling of tension. While the title track (produced in collaboration with Bogotá-based artist Galope Messier) includes only a few fluorishes of six string atmosphere, the sound itself is notable for taking an italo-disco riff and bluting it into a far more sinister form, still bright, but foreboding in the context of the rolling bassline and processed vocals. “Ñalazos” is the most straightforward and driving track on offer, recalling sort of millennial post-electronica sounds of Juno Reactor and Empirion, with a tasty touch of squelchy acid for flavour. Any of those distinct approaches could yield a new pathway for Osccurate, although if the story of the project thus far is any indication, the next release may be just as varied in wholly new ways.
Computer Decay by Osccurate

Give My Remains To Broadway
Give My Remains To Broadway
This Party Sucksself-released
Toronto ne’er-do-wells Give My Remains To Broadway are back on their speedy (in both senses of the word) darkwave kick with new EP This Party Sucks, but as the title points to, their focus has shifted somewhat from the phantasmagoria of early releases like Beyond the Gates of Xouztoth towards more quotidian stressors: bad coke, worse relationships, regret. Croaky vocals point to the band having recorded these six tunes immediately in the aftermath of the titular shindig (“It’s not a pre-game, it’s a pre-World Cup”), but as with their extant material, surprisingly lush atmospheres and solid darkwave harmonies are packed into every corner of tight compositions like “I Know You Could”. At the band’s most approachable, the punkier side of their sound pushes through gloomy excess, with weary tales of being strung out and run down (“Crash Out”) sitting halfway between Terminal Gods and Crocodiles. They’ve shown themselves to be more than capable of juggling the signifiers of recent darkwave, but here they’re beginning to point to a more general approach to dark rock which could find them tapping into new audiences.
This Party Sucks by Give My Remains to Broadway

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