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Review: Word of a sixth album from Big Thief comes with their latest track 'Vampire Empire'. First debuting live on Stephen Colbert's Late Show in March 2023, its lyrics express an inner conflict at "vampire empires", of the tendency for relationships to err towards toxic, parasitical and contingent mindsets and a rallying cry for infinite and unbroken loves. A fixture of their many live shows for at least a good few years now, we're pleased to finally be seeing the official release of this gem.

Review: Independent radio institution NTS has a lot to answer for. Not least introducing its legions of loyal listeners across the world to the mighty (or, perhaps more appropriately, curious Staalfagel). The result of some serious crate digging, as per usual for the platform, the Swedish post punk and New Wave outfit - Erik Fritjofsson, Petter Brundell and Micke Kjell - reflect how broad the digital station's music policy can be, and how important it is for things to be rediscovered and saved from obscurity.
Forming in 1980, the three piece only released two full length records in their time, alongside a handful of singles and EPs. Utan Rymddrakt Pa Uranus is among the most enigmatic and delightful, here presented in two parts with an edit by Gary The Tall. As early adopters of synths and drum machines, the cosmic dance-pop sound here might be rudimentary today, but also has this real sense of adventure and breaking new ground about it.

Review: There are seemingly no limits to the music Emotional Rescue will put out. This time they look back to the post punk scene of Bristol in the early 80s. Mouth was a short-lived outfit that put out just a couple of releases, but each one blazed a trail though leftfield percussive sounds, wave, weird jazz and electronics. Andy Guy and Rob Merrill were the main members with the likes of Nellie Hooper also in the band's orbit. This record is packed with tribal drumming and floating horns, broken dubs and avant-jazz but all with a proudly DIY attitude. It's packed with heady moments and wild steppers that havent aged a bit and still sound future.

Review: Kris Baha had a big year in 2019 with the release of his debut album on CockTail d'Amore and an EP on Pinkman, and now the Australian body music man in Berlin is back with a high-pressure heater for [Emotional] Especial. "Barely Alive" is the kind of sinewy proto-industrial cut that will appeal to fans of Ministry's earlier work, when the synths reigned supreme and there was pop to match the noir. Especial then call on a cast of remixers to interpret the track in different ways, from Timothy J Fairplay amping up the dystopian disco tropes to Das Ding creating a sleek electro-funk twist with the original's gothic undertones intact.

Review: On his new single 'Pacifico Waves', Joel Sarakula takes the scenic route down a pacific coastline, searching for peace, enlightenment and the perfect sunset. Travelling and searching is nothing new to Sarakula: it's almost his default way of being. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia before swapping oceans to live in the UK and more recently onwards to Gran Canaria: "I've been busy making my islands smaller" he jokes. But the music on 'Pacifico Waves' sounds like none of these places: with its easy drum shuffle, soulful guitar hooks and smooth vocal harmonies it distinctly evokes Southern California. It's such a potent portrait of the West Coast that if not for the contemporary lyrics and some modern production techniques, it could be a long lost hit from an early 80s LA studio band.

Review: Some lucky folk managed to bag a copy of this when it was released as part of the Screamadelica 30th Anniversary 12" Singles Box. Suffice to say, many didn't. It's also probably a given to point out the British and global music scenes are still reeling from the untimely and sudden passing of Andrew Weatherall, a studio mastermind and club DJ icon who managed to influence everyone from ambient and techno heads to indie kids, classical fans and heads in just about any other sonic avenue you care to mention. Arguably, though, his most beloved work was around the Screamadelica era, carving out a landmark crossover album from Primal Scream's original material, making stars out of everyone involved and timeless, decade-spanning tracks from singles like 'Come Together' and 'Loaded'. 'Shine Like the Stars' brought that album to a close in spectacular, trippy, emotive style, and has never left our hearts since.

Review: Andy Partridge, of legendary Swindon post-punk players XTC, here delivers a brand new solo outing for his own simian shelter (and by extension, label), Ape House. By way of four noisy, grinding, discordant yet emotive sonic 'trading cards', Partridge sings of love and its winding ups and downs, nailing the janky and rocky emotions felt therein. Lo-fi yet sprawling in its proggy indie jazzy ambition, we're forced to agree that Love Is, indeed, The Future.

Review: Based out of Brooklyn, New York, The Still Brothers is a group made up of two childhood friends, Andrew LeCoche of Ula Ruth and Evan Heinze from The Shacks. They started their musical adventure way back in the 6th grade. In the decade since they have managed to record and tour with their own respective groups, as well as work on their own distinctive brand of indie together. Here they tap up Sloshy for a feature on a new 7" that comes via Lewis. 'It's Not Over' is a dreamy cut lush vocal harmonies and lo-fi drums making for a beautifully melancholic sound. 'Crazy' has slightly more primate drum breaks and the Shoshy is just as smooth.