Browsing Tag

Avant-Garde Electronica

Mild Horses unleashed avant-garde chaos in his genre-defying electronica release, Eye of the Behemoth

Eye Of The Behemoth by Mild Horses

Mild Horses, the experimental brainchild of Matthew Leuw, previously known for his roles in various underground bands, including Norwich’s Crest and Brighton’s Coin-op, has returned with ‘Eye of the Behemoth’.

The single seizes the listener with its lo-fi synth melodies grounded on a solid backbeat, before erupting into a drum n bass rhythmic firestorm. Not merely content to rest here, it pushes the boundaries further with sharp horn stabs, marking a bold foray into avant-garde territory. As the track progresses, the intense energy momentarily retreats into more subdued, jazzy grooves that infuse the piece with psychedelic tranquillity, setting the stage for a climactic resurgence. The finale of this instrumental odyssey is a masterclass in musical composition—returning full circle with a powerful beat that perfectly encapsulates the track’s dynamic range.

‘Eye of the Behemoth’ is not just another experimental track; it is a statement of artistic integrity from Mild Horses. This single does exactly what it promises—immersing its audience in an artfully crafted storm of sound that resonates long after the last note fades. It’s an assertive piece that boldly declares Mild Horses’ niche in the eclectic landscape of contemporary music. For fans of genre-defying soundscapes, this release is an essential experience, offering both challenge and reward in its complex layers.

Stream and purchase Eye of the Behemoth ahead of its official release date of May 10th on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

SQUARMS started a revolution with their avant-garde electronica manifesto Goodbye Thinking

As we teeter on the precipice of a new world, not the brave new world imagined by Aldous Huxley, but one in which cognition falls to the wayside as AI thinks and creates in place of us, SQUARMS have elucidated the beauty which lies within organic creation, the zeal of true passion, the fire of authentic volition through their debut LP, Goodbye Thinking.

After lulling you into a psychedelic neo-jazz dream state through the opening title single, the ground-breaking electronica duo narrates a harbingering account of where society has rushed to, an era of technology advancing us as we regress into discord and dissension.

With the vocals finding the middle ground between voracious charisma and histrionic oration in the extended intro single, the verses ensnare with the grip of a beartrap, leaving you open to the mind-altering jazzy neo-pop grooves in the first of the standout singles, Artificial Love.  As the intricate layers of the instrumentals pull together over the solid backbeat, culminating in a tranquilly haunting haze that spills into the psyche, the vocals pour an elixir of ardour, giving us a taste of what we’re missing when connection is digitised and commodified.

The single, Meatbrain, reaches the epitome of oscillating innovation; the interstellar production reverberates around dystopic aesthetics as the Devil May Care vocal lines marry human emotion and logic, painting a disparaging portrait of the future that we’re sleepwalking into.

The fiercely independent DIY outfit, now residing between Newcastle Upon Tyne and Japan didn’t just make their mark with Goodbye Thinking, they started an aural revolution with the avant-garde manifesto.

Goodbye Thinking was officially released on March 15th; stream the LP on all major platforms including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

J.MYSTERY granted the permission to ‘Breakdown’ in the ethereal catharsis of his artfully raw alt-electronica score.

‘Breakdown’ is the latest innovatively polished and artfully raw electronica score by the Portuguese virtuoso and genre-melding alchemist, J.MYSTERY, who has garnered an accoladed reputation over the last few years with his command over ethereal ingenuity.

After a strong yet wavy reminiscence of John Grant in the intro which puts J.MYSTERY’s honey-timbered croons atop oscillating synthesised turbulence, echoes of the darkest Arctic Monkeys album start to manifest in the reverberance before the single veers into intersections of atmospheric soul, which will captivate any fans of Hozier and George Ezra.

Given the strength of his discography, crafting his most powerful single to date was no easy feat, but inspired by the grief shared with his wife following the sorrow of a miscarriage, J.MYSTERY found the necessity to extol the virtues of breaking down and refusing to listen to ‘be strong’ commands. Unless your soul is cast in stone, you’ll find tears to shed over this overwhelmingly vulnerable release.

Breakdown was officially released on September 29; sink into the soulful avant-garde electronica by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

PonyArt has unveiled his Avant-Garde IDM installation of sonic maleficence, Novum Stutter Sd

The artwork for PonyArt’s debut LP, Redundancy, which landed on August 3rd, is creepier than any scene in The Last of Us; when you open the sonic door to it by delving into the first single, Novum Stutter Sd, you’ll instantly note the sound designer and composer’s ability to sonically visualise the macabre into maleficent melodic soundscapes.

While I never thought I would use Otto Von Schirach and Glenn Branca references in the same review, PonyArt necessitated it with his Avant-Garde installation of IDM, which came into fruition when the composer, who day walks by the name of Joe Sheldrick, decided to orchestrate an expression of pure creative freedom and escapism from genres or expectations.

While there are visceral moments of phantasmally cacophonous etherealism, the LP, which was put out through Dachshund Records, is underpinned by melodic accessibility.

Stream the Redundancy LP on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tom P Buckley pushed the boundaries of Avant-Garde electronica with his latest single, Try

If you like your leftfield electronica soaked in theatrical autonomy, you would be hard-pressed to find more originality than what floods the mix in one of the recent releases from the Maine-based artist and producer, Tom P Buckley.

Try is just one of the 8,000 songs penned by the prolifically creative artist, who has also put his name to 51 novels and received accolades for his visual art. The extended 7-minute release drifts through everything from cutting orchestral strings to intense electro build-ups that break with a flood of euphoria to lift you from the sonic monotony that is tragically prolific on the airwaves. While we can’t say we’ve ever heard anything like it before, who is to say that’s a bad thing?

Try was officially released on March 2nd; catch it on YouTube.

For more info on the artist, head over to his official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

12 Below – Jetsam: Austere art-rock

South Florida’s most avant-garde art-rock artist 12 Below is back with his sophomore single, Jetsam, which pulls together as a dark and discordant mash of industrial, darkwave synth-pop and post-punk.

With an intro that shares reminiscence to Manchester post-punk outfit The Chameleons before the soundscape switches into a phantasmal feat of electro-rock that any fans of Dir En Grey or Celldweller will be familiar with, you’ll be hooked from the first haunted note to the last.

The ethereally ambient soundscape was constructed with effect-loaded guitars and glassy keys in downtempo progressions, for the visceral kick, 12 Below loaded caustic drums and a heavy serving of bass. I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to hear an artist similar to NIN, who also makes the dark electro sound their own.

Jetsam is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

George Sarpola has released their short, sweet and subversively psychotropic release ‘Kids Are Calling It…’

Beat Laboratory Experiments by George Sarpola

New York-residing drummer and composer, George Sarpola’s latest release, ‘Kids Are Calling It…’ will allow you to imagine what it would sound like if Frank Zappa still walked amongst us and found a penchant for avant-garde ambient electronica.

The short, sweet and subversively psychotropic release utilises vintage drum machines and newsreel samples which tease the dread of realism while George Sarpola stays well and truly in surrealist realms. His production style will undoubtedly be a hit with fans of artists as unapologetically eccentric as Otto von Schirach.

Kids Are Calling It… was released on January 17th, it is now available via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Real Clothes – Taiping Rebellion: Aurally Alchemic Avant-Garde Dark Pop

Real Clothes

Brooklyn-based Dark Pop artist and producer Real Clothes is set to release their chillingly hypnotic track “Taiping Rebellion” as part of their 2020 EP “Precaution”.

The EP addresses the instability and authoritarianism which seems to be slowly tearing apart the fabric of our society.  The EP was also orchestrated as an outlet for the grief which anyone with an ounce of empathy and compassion is undoubtedly feeling right now.

You’ll find plenty more than just lyrical resolve when you hit play. The indulgent infusion of Dark Pop, Trip Hop and Avant Pop pulls together as an entrancingly immersive single. Around the solid bass-driven beats, the chiming notes add plenty of depth to the instrumentals which Nico Fox’s vocals alluring find synergy with.

You’ll be able to find Taiping Rebellion along with the rest of the artist’s 2020 EP “Precaution” on all major streaming platforms including Spotify from August 7th.

To keep up to date with future releases head over to Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Bayan – Abnormality: Psychedelically Entrancing Avant-Garde Electronica

Breaking Electronica artist Bayan has recently released their debut album “True Conspiracy” containing the psychedelically entrancing single Abnormality which was used as the soundtrack for the Indie film Pop Life.

By infusing elements of Funk, Avant-Garde, and Psych Rock into the electronically mastered instrumental soundscape, Bayan offered a Lynchian level of ingenuity in Abnormality which any fans of Glenn Branca will definitely appreciate.

Your only complaint with Abnormality is that it doesn’t last longer. It dystopically delivers everything that it says on the tin. Debuts don’t often come as hypnotically absorbing as this. We’d strongly suggest making room for Bayan on your radars.

You can check out Abnormality along with the rest of Bayan’s 2020 debut album for yourselves via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast