Tag: new music

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Music

OHYUNG – dancing on the soft knife

OHYUNG made my favourite album of 2022, the ludicrously under-appreciated ambient masterpiece imagine naked!, and on the basis of my first few listens their latest LP is going to be right up there in 2025. You Are Always On My Mind marks a shift—away from the rawness of their earlier experimental work and towards something more pop-adjacent, but no less nuanced. Built from processed string loops and glistening synths, You Are Always On My Mind is “a declaration of love for raves and the dark hazy rooms that helped me to be free and true with myself – seeing other people who are so free and beautiful and thinking that one day that can be me – that’s me in the future.”

https://ohyung.bandcamp.com/album/you-are-always-on-my-mind

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Music

Sandwell District – The Silent Servant

The second LP from revered techno collective Sandwell District, End Beginnings, serves as a poignant tribute to the late Juan Mendez, known as Silent Servant, who died halfway through the album’s production. The closing track The Silent Servant is as a heartfelt requiem, weaving distant mechanical murmurs with orchestral synths, while white noise sweeps through like wind rustling barren branches.

https://boomkat.com/products/end-beginnings

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Music

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma – The Milky Sea

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma’s latest LP Gift Songs is a sparse, meditative collection shaped by his life as a Zen priest, hospice worker, and Hudson Valley resident. Blending piano, modular synth, guitar, and acoustic textures with a small group of collaborators, the album evokes shifting landscapes and quiet inner states. Inspired by the idea of music as a “gift,” its five pieces – including the stand-out 20 minute opener The Milky Sea, unfold slowly; a distinctly human take on ambient minimalism.

https://jefrecantu-ledesma.bandcamp.com/album/gift-songs

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Music

Moomin – Joni

I really like it when artists I haven’t thought about for years pop back up with something brilliant. I was mildly obsessed with Moomin in The Story Of You era, which terrifyingly was 15 years ago. Lots has changed for me in that time, but it’s reassuring to know he’s been making pretty much the same music; namely dusty, lofi house with plaintive piano lines and samples of waves gently rolling onto the shore. Joni is actually a bit of a outlier as he ventures into more expansive breaks, but that lead synth line really is pretty special.

Moomin – Into The Distance
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Music

Saba, No ID – Reciprocity (feat. Ibeyi)

From The Private Collection Of Saba and No ID is a collaborative album between Chicago artists Saba and producer No ID. The project blends hip-hop, soul, and experimental production across a series of tracks and features various guest appearances while leaning in to No ID’s sample-driven, textured production and Saba’s lyrical focus and vocal versatility. There’s a lot to enjoy here, but the 90 second Reciprocity with vocals from Ibeyi is a definite highlight.

https://sabanoid.bandcamp.com/

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Music

Jalen Ngonda – Just As Long As We’re Together

Penned at his hometown of Wheaton, Maryland, soul boy Jalen Ngonda returns with Just As Long As We’re Together – a smooth, soulful nod to classic Motown, with effortless falsetto, warmth, and lush instrumentation. Channeling the spirit of Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield, Ngonda delivers a heartfelt ode to love, wrapped in rich melodies and timeless charm.

https://jalenngonda.bandcamp.com/track/just-as-long-as-were-together

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Music

Walt McClements – Sirens

I saw Walt McClements support Mary Lattimore in a tiny venue in a town most of you have never heard of last year, and it was pretty amazing hearing him create an overwhelming wall of sound from an accordion, a loop pedal and not much else. One woman fainted! But it was quite hot and she was quite old, so take from that what you will. You get a sense of the power and grandiosity of his music from Sirens, the latest single to be released from his upcoming album On a Painted Ocean, due out in April on Western Vinyl.

https://waltmcclements.bandcamp.com/album/on-a-painted-ocean

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Music

Marina Zispin – The Bells (time will tell)

Now You See Me, Now You Don’t is the brilliant debut LP from Marina Zispin, the project of Bianca Scout and Martyn Reid. Scout, a composer and vocalist, has built a reputation for blending ambient, spoken word, and contemporary classical elements, with past work including The Heart of the Anchoress and last year’s incredible Pattern Damage. This new collaboration continues her exploration of fragmented memory and shifting perceptions, but with a (mostly) more upbeat tone that much of her previous work.

https://scenicroute.bandcamp.com/album/now-you-see-me-now-you-dont

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Music

Japanese Breakfast – Mega Circuit

To celebrate the best Glastonbury lineup in years, here’s a recent track from one of the many acts I’m extremely excited to see. Mega Circuit presents a darker, guitar-driven sound, reflecting on contemporary masculinity and the search for identity in challenging times. The track features renowned drummer Jim Keltner, known for his work with artists like Jackson Browne and Dolly Parton. ​The accompanying music video, co-directed by Zauner and collaborator Adam Kolodny, complements the song’s introspective themes. Which, yes, isn’t exactly three pingers deep in a field vibes, but is still excellent.

https://michellezauner.bandcamp.com/album/for-melancholy-brunettes-sad-women

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Music

serpentwithfeet – BEG QUIETLY

serpentwithfeet spends a lot of time in bed, and would like to tell you about it. His new GRIP SEQUEL release features six new compositions alongside alternative versions of three tracks from last year’s GRIP: a new version of ‘Lucky Me’ with strings, and remixes of ‘Spades’, featuring Ogi and Destin Conrad, and a ‘Damn Gloves’ remix by Baile Funk featuring Ty Dolla $ign, TH41 & Azzy. “I created GRIP SEQUEL because I had more to say [about sex]*” says serpent “I had more [sexy]* questions about intimacy [and sex]* and this was a fun [and sexy]* way to explore.

*my [sexy] additions

https://serpentwithfeet.bandcamp.com/album/grip-sequel