PICKING OUT THE SHAMELESS

By RingMaster Review on May 21, 2024 • ( 0 )

It is time again to get nosey and feed our lust for new sonic adventures, an instinct more that ably fed, indeed inspired by our bud Shauna from Shameless Promotion PR and the band Ummagma. It is another dive into the latest bundle of discoveries her own instinctive want had found and a quartet of tracks that set a compelling path to larger possibilities…

We will admit that here at The RR we have a real soft spot for NYC post-punk duo FRENCHY AND THE PUNK so you can imagine we had no hesitancy in plucking out their new single, Hypnotized, from Shauna’s latest bag of offerings. That eagerness only became more urgent as the track was revealed as the first taster of the pair’s forthcoming new album, Midnight Garden that is due for release on June 28^th via EA Recordings.

FRENCHY AND THE PUNK is the creative union of vocalist, percussionist and lyricist Samantha Stephenson and guitarist-composer Scott Helland (GUITARMY OF ONE, OUTPATIENTS co-founder of DEEP WOUND with DINOSAUR JR. members J Mascis and Lou Barlow). Since coming together in 2005, the duo has increasingly woven a sound that is post punk and dark rock bred but as pop virulent as it is uncanny with gothic undertones in its creative cabaret. It has been an ever evolving proposition that has in turn drawn greater attention and critical acclaim by the release with the band’s previous album, Zen Ghost, the centre of rich praise, that album another major spark to our eagerness now.

Of course the proof is in the pudding and Hypnotized soon had its narcotic inclinations working away to evoke swift fascination. From Helland‘s sinisterly compelling lead guitar hook to Stephenson’s suggestive keys tenebrific intrigue trapped attention with the latter’s ever magnetic and similarly dramatic tones flirting with the imagination. A SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES breath to the song equally added to its ever growing pull amid the manipulative intimation and lures of guitar and voice.

Virulently haunting and infectious, with a rhythmic animation to match, Hypnotized quickly and increasingly had us under its creative spell and impatiently waiting for the unveiling of dark delights within the Midnight Garden.

Closer on the horizon is the new album from Belgian alt-rock duo LOVELORN DOLLS and fair to say that Deadtime Stories has also garnered keen anticipation from a great many for its release on May 28th via Alfa Matrix / SPLEEN+ and to further whet the appetite, the band has released the single A Heart Cries.

Consisting of Kristell Lowagie (lyrics, vocals, arrangements) and Bernard Daubresse (music, programming, guitars, production), the Brussels based duo has already lit up the year with their Beautiful Chaos single/EP and a sound that is almost theatrical in its fusion of synth-metal and gothic rock but one as sonically trespassing as it is melodically and harmonically seductive.

As A Heart Cries again proves, there is also an atmospherically evocative and suggestively ambient tone to the LOVELORN DOLLS sound and an instinctive dark poppiness that courts every twist and turn. The song is a wind of power and drama that ebbs and flows across its intimate emotively dark landscape but throughout commands attention and rewards with dextrous enterprise and temptation.

From start to finish, A Heart Cries richly captivated and aroused while teasing a real hankering for the band’s upcoming fourth album.

There is no doubting that San Francisco post-punk outfit OCTAVIAN WINTERS had attention gripped and high praise gathered with their debut EP, The Line or Curve. Released towards the end of last year, it has continued to draw new ears and we suggest it will again see a new surge courtesy of the band’s new 2-track single.

Formed in 2022, OCTAVIAN WINTERS consists of guitarist Stephan Salit (THRILL OF THE PULL), drummer Randy Gzebb (THRILL OF THE PULL, LOVE CLUB), bassist Jay Denton and Ria Aursjoen on vocals and keyboards. Their new Stratis Capta Records released single sees the band unite EP track Nebula with a remix of another of its potent moments, Velveteen. The latter emerges from a team up with producer, engineer, programmer, remixer, songwriter and electronic music icon Mark Pistel who was a founding member of CONSOLIDATED and contributing member of MEAT BEAT MANIFESTO since 1997.

Also accompanied by a video created by filmmaker David Kruschke, Nebula epitomises the ethereal beauty and dark drama of the OCTAVIAN WINTERS sound. With the siren seduction of harmony rich and emotionally radiant vocals within a sound that embraces the shadows, the song evoked and provoked the senses and imagination with every breath and note. It wraps around ears with suspense and temptation, taking the listener on a flight into the unknown with a myriad of possibilities.

The Velveteen remix is an immediate oscillation of sound that is soon bound in its own particular intimation of dark realms and captivating exploration, Pistel bringing out a new vein of virulence to escalate the already inescapable contagion of the track’s creative and suggested drama.

Together the tracks make for one irresistible moment and for fans and newcomers alike another rich reason to immerse in the crepuscular world of OCTAVIAN WINTERS.

Like a caress upon the senses is the best way to describe the final track in this selection of singles. The recently released I Was Just Dreaming is from US art-rock indie-pop collective THE PULL OF AUTUMN and the first track taken from their upcoming new album, Memory Tree, which is released on May 31st via RBM Records. It is a slice of dreamy contemplation but a moment equally wrapped in melancholy as it muses on moments in time and life,

THE PULL OF AUTUMN is probably best described as a “revolving-door collective” led and curated by Daniel Darrow of 80s post-punk group JOHANNA’S HOUSE OF GLAMOUR with core members Bruce MacLeod, Matthew Darrow and Luke Skyscraper James (FASHION/THIS TWISTED WRECKAGE) alongside. Since releasing their self-titled debut album in 2018 and across their subsequent full-lengths, the project has also embraced the craft of notable and emerging artists with I Was Just Dreaming featuring Boston-based artist Bruce MacLeod on vocals.

The song rises within twilight lit electronic mist and soon surrounds the evocative poetry of guitar and voice. There is an almost claustrophobic air to the track as it emerges with electronic winds seeming to come closer with every intimate thought shared but similarly melodic beauty glows with brighter radiance within the emotive shadows.

Simultaneously seductive and haunting with a melancholic scent to both, I Was Just Dreaming proved a richly involving moment with THE PULL OF AUTUMN and again as all the tracks here only nudged a keenest to explore bigger adventures.