Browsing Tag

Lynchian

Slip into a chorally Lynchian delirium with Milk Bar Gang’s latest orchestration, The Accident

Posted on 31 December 2023

Hitting play on the latest single, The Accident, from Milk Bar Gang, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve slipped into a chorally Lynchian delirium as you allow the cultivated hazy dream pop tones to wash over you, submerging you in ethereal Avant-Garde surrealism.

The song’s sonic landscape is a complex tapestry, weaving together elements of Shoegaze’s choral dreaminess and the experimental edge reminiscent of Glenn Branca while the incorporation of jazzy rhythms and darkwave elements contribute to its rich and diverse texture.

Lyrically and thematically, The Accident delves into profound concepts. It reflects on the uncontrollable circumstances of birth and the ensuing struggle against oppression, as well as the emergence of resistance. This philosophical depth is matched by the music’s atmospheric synths and sharp guitar riffs, underlined by a rhythm section that couldn’t be further from archetypal. The unsettling melodies and chord progressions further enhance its impact, creating a sound that is simultaneously bleak and beautiful.

Recorded at home and refined by professionals in Melbourne, the single is a testament to Milk Bar Gang’s commitment to their craft. The band, formed in 2021 by Felix Chapple and Bianca Cao, brings a diverse range of influences and experiences. Chapple’s history with various Melbourne bands and musicians, combined with Cao’s background in dance and visual art from Beijing, contribute to the unique identity of Milk Bar Gang. If this is how they chose to end 2023, we’re aching to hear the artfully cohesive orchestrations that are lurking in the pipelines.

The Accident will debut on New Year’s Eve; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bitvert oscillated doom through his harbingering experimental deep bass track, Distress Signal

Posted on 4 December 2023

Bitvert’s experimental deep bass single ‘Distress Signal’ is an scintillating foray into the realm of underground electronica, seamlessly merging dark textures and tonalities with an omnipresent sense of impending doom. More than just a composition; it’s an experience, an auditory journey through the depths of electronic music’s more shadowy corridors.

Distress Signal starts the transmission with a harbingering sense of doom that is immediately palpable, it pulsates through the oscillating basslines that forge the spine of this musical beast. To evoke a primal response, enthralling and unsettling in equal measure, Bitvert bolstered the resonance in the bass which exhibits his reverence for the DIY ethos of punk.

The sharp cuts of the snares in Distress Signal add a layer of urgency to the track; they are meticulously crafted to cut through the deep bass, serving as a stark contrast that enhances the overall texture of the piece. This percussive element lends the track a glitchy trip-hop nuance, further diversifying the auditory palette.

When you hit play on the filmic, almost Lynchian ingenuity, you are more than a passive recipient of sound, you’re transported to a dark, brooding and intensely atmospheric realm. It’s an auditory odyssey that pushes the boundaries of electronic music and leaves a lasting impression.

Distress Signal will be transmitted on December 4th; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

djamesk13 lit a beacon to the outliers in the Lynchian post-punk atmosphere of his latest single, The Left-Over Piece of the Puzzle

Posted on 17 October 2023

If djamesk13 wasn’t a solo artist, you’d be forgiven for wondering if Paul Banks had added a new project to his legacy. With echoes of the early Interpol records lingering in the guitar’s reverb entwined with an atmosphere which could only be described as Lynchian, the latest single, The Left-Over Piece of the Puzzle, is an alluring pool of tonal and textural mesmerism.

When you’re not busy being consumed by the artful effects applied to the post-punk nuances, you will find the time to find the melancholic beauty in the release. While some people lament because a piece of them of missing, others are alienated by the unshakable feeling that there’s no place where they can fit in and feel at home.  This one is for anyone who has felt a kinship with Camus.

The Left-Over Piece of the Puzzle was officially released on October 8th; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Softmax connects through disjointed isolation in her Lynchian installation of electronica, Swishers

Posted on 9 August 2023
Softmax

Silence fell after the 2022 debut EP, But What If There Isn’t?, from the Chicago-native Softmax; in her time away from the airwaves, she honed her craft and primed herself for her latest single, Swishers.

Co-produced by Joel Ford, of How to Dress Well fame, and Berlin’s premier electronica producer, Gabriel Gifford, Swishers sets a dramatically Lynchian tone to create a dystopian synthpop backdrop for the portrayal of inwardly imploding isolation while everyone falsifies their lives online.

The sentiment is just as resonant as the score orchestrated to depict the agonisingly disjointing feelings. Clearly, Softmax has a talent for reflecting the rawest facets of the human experience back at us. The syncopated beats and oscillating synths paint a portrait of how it feels when black holes of alienation form as a fixture in the arrangement of your bedroom furniture.

In her own words: “It’s about wanting to connect with the world and understand people while feeling further and further from it,”

Swishers will hit the airwaves on August 9th as a courtesy of the London-based indie record label, Psychotic Reaction Music. Stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Visit the haunted ‘Park of Endless Dreams II’ in Frances Cleave’s ethereally alchemic single

Posted on 20 June 2023

After beguiling us with her Southern Gothic sophomore single, Freedom vs. Loneliness, the Charleston singer-songwriter Frances Cleave perceptibly sharpened her magnetic songwriting chops for her third single, Park of Endless Dreams II.

The deeply confessional single gives an intimate view into Cleave’s relatable haunted psyche while bringing her audience’s emotions to the surface to taste the catharsis in the hazy Lynchian soundscape.

Traversing the pleasure-pain dichotomy through ethereal vocal lines, which sink into the eerie tones split by the minimalist synth lines, Park of Endless Dreams II is yet another testament to Cleave’s alchemic relationship to music. With her lyricality always pertaining to a sense of duality, Cleave is a rare artist who shows you both sides of the coin with her poetic works.

Park of Endless Dreams II was officially released on June 9th. Stream it on Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Joshua. orchestrated the ultimate Lynchian love song with ‘WALK BY LOVE’

Posted on 6 December 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-CwO_7iXLo

Mike Patton walked so the ethereally scintillating alt-folk artist Joshua. could ‘WALK BY LOVE’ in his latest music video.

Only an artist as iconic as he could get away with a mononym *and* allowing haunting tones to creep out of a ukulele in the production that wouldn’t be out of place in the Eraserhead soundtrack. He could never be accused of writing ‘just another love song’.

The disconcertingly cinematic single allows his sonically ephemeral vocals to drift atop the minimalist instrumentals that envelop you in their wistfully nostalgic sepia tones. In the space of just two minutes, the originator made an ever-lasting impression that definitively proves everyone’s interpretation of love is as individualistic as they are.

The official music video for WALK BY LOVE is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

terrel flower explores disassociation with his Lynchian glitch-hop track, ‘I’m not me’.

Posted on 21 May 2021

Experimental artist terrel flower has released his sophomore single, I’m not me, it may be difficult to pigeonhole in terms of genre, but in terms of feeling, it’s a reflection of dissociative ennui that kicks with an artfully Lynchian feeling of desolation.

Sticking to the darker side of the tonal palette in the downtempo and minimalist single, terrel flower gave the single a chilling atmosphere that allows you to carouse in monochromatic lament. With elements of glitch hop and ambient EDM within the single, fans of Portishead and Hooverphonic will want to indulge in the dark yet compassionately resonant single that welcomes you in and offers solidarity from the track title alone. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but neither was Albert Camus’ poetry, and therein lies the outlier beauty in I’m not me.

I’m not me is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Emma Hunter – Nightingale: A Lynchian Exploration of Desire.

Posted on 17 April 2021

Oxford-based alternative singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Emma Hunter has followed on from her sobering single, Here I Go, with her nefariously indulgent single, Nightingale; it’s a stunning Lynchian exploration of desire.

The multifaceted account of passion captures the highs, lows and intensities of chasing love, showcasing the strength needed to take a chance. It is singles like Nightingale which put the archetypal love song to shame. Because underneath the ‘look at me, I’m so happy, I wish this would last forever’ choruses is the pain that resides beneath the façade; that’s exactly what resonates here.

By capturing the creeping tones of the Cramps, Empress of Furs and Lydia Lunch and contorting them in loops and layers that will pull your rhythmic pulses with them and complimenting the eerie textures with ethereal classical strings, Emma Hunter’s vocals that carry the class of a 1930’s Parisian chanteuse have the perfect  atmosphere to fall into.

Emma Hunter is undoubtedly one of the most mesmerising rising artists around in 2021. When venues are open, you’ll want to be present when she takes to the stage with her elegantly haunting presence.

Nightingale officially released on April 16th; you can watch the official video on YouTube. For more info and other ways to listen, head over to Emma Hunter’s official website or Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

8udDha bl0od – 50n!c AD<3n7Ur3: 06.2.3 : Cr.:.2Y 8U773rflY fx: Dystopianly Dark Electronica

Posted on 6 May 2020

Fans of dystopic Lynchian ambient soundscapes will definitely want to delve into the entrancingly eerie tones in 8udDha bl0od’s upcoming single 50n!c AD<3n7Ur3: 06.2.3 : Cr.:.2Y 8U773rflY fx.

The instrumental soundscape feels like a calm before an ethereal aural storm. The same chilling sensation you get while watching vintage horror flicks as you wait for the insidiousness to seep manifests through the cold glistening tones and swirling voids of kaleidoscopically monochrome magnetism.

You’ll have to wait until March 12th to check out 50n!c AD<3n7Ur3: 06.2.3 : Cr.:.2Y 8U773rflY fx for yourselves. In the meantime, you can check out 8udDha bl0od’s earlier releases via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast