Holy Popes - S/T

 

Now this is an interesting one. Billed as "Post-Garage" the music of Holy Popes is an engaging brand of heavy music that will draw you in and enchant you with grungy riffs, gritty production and an overarching sense that things are not going to be ok. There is a real sense of underground magic of Holy Popes and it's hard not to be thrilled by the driving magic and gnarled emotional resonance of what Holy Popes have done here. The band have a strong grasp of the magic of garage rock and filter it through a bevy of influences for something truly great.

This is a record that ties into so many of the tropes the band draws inspiration from, but it executes on them well and the end result is an emotional and burly offering that I think fans of the underground are going to have a lot of fun sinking their teeth into. Holy Popes is at its best when the yarling is at a fever pitch and the band give into the distortion. It's their rawest moments that lean the most eagerly into their garage rock roots that really draw listeners into what makes them special. This is a band who really understand how to navigate the most twisted aspects of their sound and it's their where they really shine through. 

Holy Popes are a veritable force. They have a sense of themselves that I think few of their peers could similarly lean into and the driving power of the bass guitar and the enchanting magic of the overdrive pedal makes for something great. This is a shredding and fun offering that devotees are going to come back too time and time again. Holy Popes understand the twisted and bleak magic of their music and the apocalyptic nature of a world that seems eager to collapse down around their ears. Enjoy this soundtrack of modernity. 

Pre-order the album!

https://holypopes.bandcamp.com/

Black Wing - No Moon

Now this is a fascinating and exciting one. Black Wing is a deeply emotive chillwave project from Dan Barrett of Have A Nice Life and Giles Corey. His debut with this project, No Moon is a raw and emotional offering. It sees gorgeous post punk layers interacting on a largely electronic soundscape. It makes for a compelling record from a creator who has consistently proven that he is among the best in his field. It makes for some very satisfying listen, practically guaranteed to make you too emotional. No Moon is a stunner through and through. 

Black Wing can't help but to leave me in awe. There are moments here that are incredibly personal. Most poignant perhaps comes on the track "Choir Of Assholes" where a voiceover comes in and says "I just want to start suffering so much." If that doesn't hit you in the gut then I don't know what will. There is a sense of looking deep within and trying to figure out oneself and finding a way forward through all the madness. The deep internal pain that drives this record is a huge part of what makes it so compelling. It's a delight to get lost in this album and to find a sense of self within the interlocking layers and very real nature of the compositions. 

There is simply so much to fall in love with on this record. It's an album that sees Dan Barrett building on past ideas but taking them in a bold new direct. This is in many ways a daring effort, but the way that it builds on pre-existing tropes is oddly comforting. Few albums are going to really tug at your heart strings in the same way that No Moon really does. It's a chillwave meets post punk offering that delves deep into the struggle of self and gives you a way to move forward despite the lies and bullshit that might be tearing you down.

Find the on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/blackwingisdoomed

Raspberry Bulbs - Before The Age Of Mirrors

Now this is a subversive one. Raspberry Bulbs new record, Before The Age Of Mirrors is a really interesting one. It's a fusion of pissed off punk with lo fi black metal. At times it conjures up early black metal acts, at others it feels crustier. The psychedelic lyrics and touches of the occult though serve to lock this whole thing in a weird sound world of twisted and mind melting madness. Before The Age Of Mirrors is a dynamic listen, a record that will drag the listener to hell, and then force them to dance.

Before The Age Of Mirrors is a remarkably dense record despite the relative simplicity of the songwriting. While the recording certainly feels very lo fi there is a lot to unpack in a song like 'Given Over To History' which closes out the record in a storm of discomfort. The way that the album gets beneath your skin is really appealing and claws at the psyche serves to only make it the more desirable. Meanwhile the no-wave bass tones and hints at avant garde sorcery serve to remind us that there is a lot more going on behind the veil. Aware of its own bombast and oftentimes wonderfully weird, this is a record that demands multiple listens.

Raspberry Bulbs are a band who seem eager to defy the norms and force the listener out of their comfort zone. The ideas here are interesting because they pull from classic concepts in novel and exciting ways. Before The Age Of Mirrors routinely conjures up bizarro imagery that may very well leave you grasping at your sanity. This is the beauty of the album though - that it forces the listener to deeply engage and come to terms with the grandiose and yet somehow simultaneously understated artistic statement the band is dropping.

Listen on Bandcamp!
https://raspberrybulbs.bandcamp.com/

Varsovie - Coups Et Blessures

Sundust Records may be a new label, but anyone who is associated with Blut Aus Nord and Debemur Morti probably has their shit together and is choosing some great music to put out. Such si the case with Coups Et Blessures the third record from the blossoming flower that is Varsovie. This These French post-punk masters have created something with this album that transcends many of the bands peers and hints at a bigger and bolder future. This is one of the most epic records I have heard all year, and making an active move towards being one of my favorite non-English albums ever.

There is something wonderfully epic about Coups Et Blessures be it the thrilling touches of Talk Talk and The Cure or simply the strange sense of forward motion that defines the record. Varsovie use this album to craft music that is strange and transcendent, that fascinates the listener and which draws them into their own unique soundworld. This isn't roc kand roll for the faint of hearrt but rather a sonic experience of the sort that doesn't come up to often. There is a breadth to songs like Chevaux Echappés which only serves to make the album all the more intense, mesmerizing, and, in a word, powerful. This is what post punk is supposed to be about.

With strange colliding chords occasionally dominating a narrative of driving rhythms and epic soundscapes the compositions of Varsovie are pure magic. The elegant approach to the writing is distinctly French, it's layered with intertextuality, unique twists and turns and the sort of attention to detail that makes good music great. The lyrics are powerful and at times incredible emotional. It's been three years since we last heard from these guys but one can only hope the power of this record keeps them cranking out top notch material quickly because this is triumphant.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/varsovie.propaganda