Michigan indie rockers STRAWBERRY LAKE share Replacements-esque 'Other Spaces' on connection, escape & emotional understanding

November 3, 2026

Michigan indie rock band Strawberry Lake present their debut single 'Other Spaces', a deeply introspective song about negotiating emotional landscapes, exploring the complicated dynamics of relationships, the longing for intimacy, and the limits of escape.

Previewing what will be their debut album 'Forever', this song combines ringing guitars, raspy vocals, infectious hooks, and big-hearted melodies. Capturing the band's distinctive blend of Replacements-flavored power pop, soulful introspection, and unmistakable Midwestern grit.

Hailing from Dexter, a close-knit community in southeastern Michigan, Strawberry Lake is made up of two father-and-son duos. Lead vocalist Martin Fletcher is joined by his son Carter Fletcher on bass, Jim Pulford on drums, and his son Cole Pulford on guitar and backing vocals. Born out of tragedy and emerging from a shared process of healing following the death of Jim's son Gage Pulford, who had long dreamed of bringing his friends' fathers together to play and create music.

Too late for Gage to witness with his own eyes, his dream was realized when Jim and Marty Fletcher united in the wake of Gage's passing, as friends and musically, bringing their sons into the fold. What began as a shared musical experience grew into Strawberry Lake, who have been composing and performing at venues throughout Ann Arbor and Detroit over the past few years.

'Other Spaces' explores the struggle to escape personal troubles through nightlife, emotional highs and other distractions, only to discover that the underlying problems remain. At its heart is a fragile, on-and-off relationship between two people who long for closeness but struggle with communication, loneliness, and uncertainty about whether they can rely on each other. The song captures the painful gap between imagined intimacy and the reality of emotional isolation, ultimately arriving at the realization that sometimes letting go is the only way forward.

"It's always difficult talking about songs. Songs are strange things. Thoughts are strange things. Nobody has ever been able to give me a satisfactory definition of a thought. We don't know what consciousness is, so how can we define a feature of it? I used to think it was pretentious when i read interviews with songwriters who said that the songs came to them," says frontman Martin Fletcher, reflecting on the mysterious nature of songwriting.

"It seemed too mystical to be true. But, if you examine our own thoughts, how many are truly your own? We can call them "intrusive thoughts" or "angels/messengers". On some level, we know that there is something out there we are tapping into. If we are open to it, and pay attention, we receive messages and images. 'Other Spaces' started with a feeling of conflict in a relationship and wondering why and what was happening. It's, in part, about the futility in conflicts. This was one of those songs that songwriters call gifts - the kind written in 10 or 15 minutes. The rest is just editing and polishing."

Strawberry Lake is a case in point about how some dreams live on beyond the life of those who first dreamt them. On June 26, 2022, Gage died in an early-morning car accident, just three weeks after graduating from high school. Barely 18, his faith, family, friends, and love of music touched so many.

Gage loved bringing people together through music and had dreamed of bringing his friends’ fathers, many of whom were musicians, together to play. Following his passing, Strawberry Lake is keeping that dream and Gage’s memory alive, carrying that spirit forward - ultimately turning grief into beautifully infectious music.

'Other Spaces' is out now, available everywhere digitally, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. The 'Forever' album will be released in early 2027.

CREDITS
Written by Martin Fletcher, Carter Fletcher, Cole Pulford & Jim Pulford
Lyrics by Martin Fletcher
Martin Fletcher - vocals & guitar
Carter Fletcher - bass guitar
Cole Pulford - guitar & vocals
Jim Pulford - drums & percussion
Maddy Ferri - background vocals
Michael Feeney - background vocals
Recorded at Monkey Holler Recording in Nashville, Tennessee
Produced by Michael Feeney - Monkey Holler Recording
Mastered by Geoff Michael at Big Sky Recording in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Artwork created by Al Brandtner, Brandtner Design, Chicago
Strawberry Lake band photos by Cynthia Pulford
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

Keep up with Strawberry Lake
Website | LinkTree | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | Apple Music | Booking contact | Press contact

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BlueSky | Threads | Soundcloud | LinkedIn | Ema il

Electronic legends DELERIUM & dreamwave duo MAGIC WANDS share audio-visual reverie with "Dream Palace" single

October 31, 2026

Legendary Canadian electronic duo Delerium have teamed up with LA-based dreamwavers Magic Wands on their aptly-named single "Dream Palace". Two of the artists most associated with dark-edged bliss-pop in today's music landscape, both of these duos are also label-mates via Metropolis Records.

Founded in 1987 by Bill Leeb (Front Line Assembly, Skinny Puppy) and Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly, Conjure One) has spent four decades shaping the global soundscape, evolving effortlessly from haunting ambient trance to lush, dark pop. This latest collaboration marks another monumental chapter in their legendary discography, wrapping listener senses in pure cinematic beauty.

Following the lead track "Into The Light", a beautifully dark opus featuring iconic American avant-garde singer Diamanda Galás, this is the latest offering from Delerium’s highly anticipated 16th studio album, “Exaudire", arriving in January 2027. Produced by Leeb and Fulber, their long-standing collaborator Greg Reelyonce again handles mixing and mastering.

On 'Dream Palace', Delerium's signature cinematic electronica receives a brilliant layer of guitar-infused sheen. With Magic Wands' Chris Valentine on guitar and Dexy Valentine contributing vocals and lyrics, the resulting hypnotic lullaby finds a welcome home amidst this vast, cinematic sonic landscape

Like a surreal dream of its own, the captivating video, starring Soraya Rose Southwick, was directed, produced and filmed by Shahrnaz Nancy Southwickand Magic Wands with lighting design by Chris Valentine, production design by Bradley Preston Southwick, and editing and color grading by Dexy Valentine.

“When we first heard the music Delerium sent to us it put us in a trance for about 24 hours. We listened on loop again and again to see what we could do that would complement it. Chris came up with some guitar and I came up with a vocal melody. Lyrically I went with the dreamy feeling the song was giving me. The lyrics were inspired by the music and also the end scene of Contact a 90's movie based on a Carl Sagan novel,” says Dexy Valentine.

“Delerium liked our "Hide" video and wanted something like that so we got together with our friend & producer Shahrnaz Nancy Southwick and her daughter Soraya Rose and shot it in a backyard garden. The imagery captures another dimension of the song that feels a bit more mystical. The video is about a girl opening a wooden box and, as she looks into it, she finds herself in a parallel universe”.

Originally intended as a side project for Leeb and Fulber to explore dark ambient instrumental compositions, Delerium ultimately took on a long and beautiful life of its own. With Front Line Assembly already part of the Metropolis Records roster, Delerium signed to the label for the release of the albums "Mythologie" (2016) and "Signs" (2023). Bill Leeb also released his widely acclaimed debut solo album "Model Kollapse" via Metropolis in 2024.

“We were first introduced to Magic Wands through Metropolis Records, who asked us if we wanted to do a remix for them, which we did for their song "Moonshadow". That went really well. When recording our new Delirium album, we thought it might be fun to do something with them," says Bill Leeb.

"Since they are also with Metropolis, this made everything very easy. We are all extremely happy with the result. This is kind of a new sound for Delirium, which made us really happy, and they also created a video for it, which goes extremely well with the song. A wonderful collaboration, visually and sonically.”

Since their 1994 album "Semantic Spaces", Delerium has received two Juno awards and grown to massive fame through collaborations, involving vocals by Leigh Nash (Sixpence None the Richer), Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance), Kirsty Hawkshaw (Opus III), Emily Haines (Metric), Jacqui Hunt (Single Gun Theory), Matthew Sweet and Kristy Thirsk (Rose Chronicles).

Worldwide chart success came in 2000 with the anthem "Silence (featuring Sarah McLachlan)", reaching #1 in numerous countries, its remixes also hailed among the greatest trance songs (the Tiësto remix was voted the 12th-greatest dance track of all time by Mixmag readers). Delerium has also had sync licensing success with songs in films such as "Brokedown Palace" and "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider". “Silence" was also recently heard in the hit BBC drama "Industry".

Magic Wands was formed in 2011, with Chris and Dexy Valentine first connecting through Myspace while living on opposite sides of the country (in Los Angeles and Nashville). They have since released a solid catalogue of music, performed at Lollapalooza and SXSW, and played with a list that reads like a Hall of Fame, including Radiohead, Slowdive, The Horrors, The Black Keys, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Raconteurs, The Breeders,The Wombats, Dinosaur Jr., The Kills, Deerhunter, Mac DeMarco, Sebadoh, Ty Segall and The Raconteurs.

As of October 30, “Dream Palace“ is available from fine digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. Already available for pre-order, 'Exaudire' will be released as a double album on Oxblood vinyl, as well as on CD and digitally, on January 22nd, 2027.

CREDITS
Music written by Bill Leeb, Rhys Fulber, Jared Silgerland & Chris Valentine
Lyrics written by Dexy Valentine
Performed by Delerium (Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber)
Dexy Valentine - vocals
Chris Valentine - guitar
Recorded, mixed & mastered by Greg Reely
Produced by Bill Leeb & Rhys Fuller
Guitar and vocals recorded & produced by Dexy Valentine & Chris Valentine
Cover design & layout by Dexy Valentine
Cover photo by Shahrnaz Nancy Southwick
Released by Metropolis Records
Video directed, produced & filmed by Shahrnaz Nancy Southwick & Magic Wands
Lighting design by Chris Valentine
Production design by Bradley Preston Southwick
Edited & color grading by Dexy Valentine
Starring Soraya Rose Southwick
Special thanks to Kingston Rumi Southwick & Gatsby Southwick
Publicity by Shauna McLarnon for Shameless Promotion PR

Keep up with Delerium
Facebook | Bandcamp | Merch Store | Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music | Press contact

Keep up with Magic Wands
Website | Bandcamp | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Soundcloud | YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify | Management / Booking

Keep up with Metropolis Records
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BlueSky | Threads | Soundcloud | LinkedIn | Ema il

Manchester's CAULBEARERS release long-awaited debut 'Come Back Home' album

October 30, 2026

Manchester-based collective Caulbearers presents their debut album 'Come Back Home', released by Single Cell Recordings, off the back of a sell-out album launch gig at The Carlton Club. Sounding a rallying call for unity at the grassroots level and resistance to forces intent on dividing us, this follows the singles ‘Next World’, ‘Twisted Cord’ and the latest, ‘Brothers At The Wheel’. The focus track for the album release is 'Truth'.

Formed in 2007 and led by Damien Mahoney, Caulbearers are known for blending diverse musical styles, including soul, funk, hip-hop, indie pop, dub, nu jazz and folk influences. With contributors hailing from around the UK and Europe, their DIY ethic has coursed through every element of their releases, from design, production, videos and gigs to the recording process itself.

Caulbearers' core players -- Dan Mitchell on bass, Stefan Skrimshire on cello, guitarist Anton Hunter (J. Chambers, Sloth Racket, Beats & Pieces Big Band), percussionist Gavin Mullan, and Will Lenton on sax and keys -- are joined by Somerset ethereal folk artist Ruth Blake on all songs but one, where Bengali-heritage singer Sarah Sayeed guests.

The album title explores the notion of what home is. What can we come back to: is ‘home’ land, family, roots and heritage? The sum of our experiences and connections we make? Or the identities we claim, whether of sexuality, gender, politics or belief? Are they part of us, or masks that give a sense of belonging, purpose and identity? Can we feel at home in the world and within ourselves without them?

These are questions with weight at a time when identity, nationality and race are weaponised to tell people they don’t belong, and when others have long been forced from their homes by colonialism, war and climate change. Caulbearers mastermind Damien Mahoney explains, “I don’t have a fixed idea of what that home is to be coming back to. It feels cyclical for me: I’m drawn to, and cling to, different aspects of it at different times.”

From the chorus of angelic voices that heralds the opening of ‘Harpses’ to the celebratory funk of closing track ‘Once Inseparable’, ‘Come Back Home’ journeys into the underworld of the human psyche, exploring the tensions between self, soul and society. Along the way, it moves through themes of inner turmoil, protest, colonialism, initiation and spirituality, before surfacing in the gratitude and resilience of 'Burst Through The Borders’, finally finding solace, deeper connection and a sense of "home” as the album closes.

Alongside its inward journey, the album turns its anger on the steeply hierarchical society of the UK and elsewhere: a system so woven into the fabric of daily life that it has become almost invisible, and so escapes the scorn it deserves while easier targets take the blame.

With Caulbearers forged in the musical-cultural melting pot of Manchester, ‘Come Back Home’ draws from that rich heritage but with global influences and inspirations. The band themselves emerged in the city's Hulme area as part of the Single Cell Collective, where art and music met activism. Mahoney draws on his experience of growing up and living in northern towns and cities in the UK as much as on the wisdom traditions and music of other cultures.

The chorus of ‘Truth’ was inspired by the rhythm and pattern of chants by Tibetan monks, who invited Mahoney to record them at prayer in the refugee settlement of Bylakuppe, South India. The vocal and cello melody in ‘Paths’ was influenced by a devotional mantra heard once on India’s east coast while Mahoney was recovering in hospital from illness; beneath it, a bassline crosses techno riffs with Gnawa trance. ‘Small Space’ explodes into Cuban horns and an increasingly frenzied sax as the song crescendos.

“The songs are rarely stories specifically, but more like moods, deep emotional states or parallel worlds that we enter into, where scenarios, perspectives and protagonists can shift and morph with a dream-like quality,” says Damien Mahoney. “Out of states of difficulty and uncertainty sometimes come the more positive songs. The words can be the healing themselves, a reminder that transformation and renewal are possible.”

Mixed by Seadna McPhail (Badly Drawn Boy, Jah Wobble, Everything Everything, I Am Kloot, Happy Mondays), this album was recorded by Mahoney and Chris Hamilton at Toast Recordings and Seadna McPhail at Airtight Studio, and mastered by Jim Spencer (New Order, Johnny Marr, Charlatans, Factory Floor) at Eve Mastering.

Rooted in rhythm and groove, alongside dub basslines, epic strings, horns and harmonies, Caulbearers enlisted some heavyweight drummers to lock the album’s beats down including Rob Turner (Go Go Penguin, Elf Traps), Howard Jacobs (Beth Gibbons, Homelife) and mainstay Grenville Harrop (Cherry Ghost).

'Come Back Home' involves 24 contributing artists, including acclaimed Manchester pianist John Ellis (The Cinematic Orchestra, Stone Roses' John Squire, Corinne Bailey Rae, Lily Allen), bassist Alex Berry (The Earlies, King Creosote, Daniel Johnston, Thea Gilmore), renowned violinist Olivia Moore (Jason Singh, Stuart McCallum, Suns of Arqa). Copenhagen violinist Anne Eltard, Welsh composer & trombonist Owain Gruffudd Roberts, flautist Peter Digby-Lee and polyrhythmic pianist Edward Chilvers also feature.

On October 30th, 'Come Back Home' is available everywhere, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.

I YA TOYAH's blistering new single 'White Walls' explores our modern mental meltdown, announcing new EP

October 29, 2026

Alternative music powerhouse I Ya Toyah has released 'White Walls', drawing attention to the personal side of the mental crisis endemic within modern society. The accompanying video was directed, filmed and edited by Chicago filmmaker Alex Zarek. Through haunting imagery, this release highlights the struggles that often remain hidden behind carefully maintained appearances, inviting listeners to look beyond the surface and recognize the silent battles many people face every day.

With the release timed with World Mental Health Day, the initial proceeds were donated to Backline Care, which helps people in the music industry access the mental health care and support they need. Individuals can also support this vital organization by donating directly.

'White Walls' is her fourth and final single in a series leading up to her 'Error Prospect: Human' EP, which was developed in collaboration with Grammy-nominated producer Johnny K, (Disturbed, Staind, 3 Doors Down, Megadeath, Finger Eleven). The first major release since her 2024 album 'DRAMA', co-produced with and mixed by STABBING WESTWARD’s WALTER FLAKUS, this new material expands I Ya Toyah's sonic vision without losing the dark atmosphere, emotional intensity, and independent spirit she is known for.

Where the preceding trilogy -- 'Feelings', 'Apology' and her own outstanding rendition of Nine Inch Nails' classic 'Closer' -- confronts emotional disconnection, the destructive nature of ego, and the obsession with external validation, 'White Walls' marks a pivotal shift in perspective, turning the examination inward. While the earlier songs question what we are becoming as individuals and as a society, 'White Walls' explores what happens to a person trying to survive within that reality, revealing the emotional consequences of a world increasingly disconnected from genuine human experience.

Chicago-based and Polish-born, I Ya Toyah is not just a musical act — she’s a movement. Blending industrial and dark electronic music with haunting melodies, powerful beats, and raw human emotion, she creates a world where beauty meets distortion and vulnerability becomes an act of defiance. With an intense, chameleonic voice and a dark melodic edge, her music confronts inner struggles, challenges expectations, and searches for human connection in a world that often demands perfection.

"'White Walls' came to life in a very personal place — on one of those days when the darkness became almost unbearable, when being inside my own mind felt louder than anything happening outside of it. I wrote because I needed somewhere for it to go. I’m incredibly grateful that I have art as an outlet. I can turn something painful into sound, words, images — give it a body outside of myself. But while writing 'White Walls', I kept thinking about how many people don’t have that outlet. How many learn to perform “fine” so convincingly that nobody thinks to look twice. How much can live behind a face that gives nothing away,," explains I Ya Toyah.

"That is where 'White Walls' lives: in the distance between what we show and what we survive. It is the noise behind the silence. The exhaustion of carrying an invisible weight. The strange loneliness of standing among people while feeling completely unreachable. And somewhere inside all of that, the need to be seen — not rescued, not fixed, just truly seen."

The most vulnerable chapter of the new EP, 'White Walls' exposes the loneliness of suffering in plain sight, the exhaustion of pretending to be okay, and the invisible distance between how we appear and what we endure. Juxtaposing the confrontation and defiance of the preceding tracks, I Ya Toyah offers a deeply personal examination of isolation, mental health, and the desperate need to be seen. Rather than offering a comforting resolution, listeners are left with an uncomfortable question -- what happens when someone can no longer maintain the illusion that everything is fine?

"Sometimes the person who looks perfectly fine is standing behind their own white walls. This song began as something I needed on a very dark day. I hope it can become a crack in the wall for someone else," says I Ya Toyah.

"Releasing this single around World Mental Health Day felt inseparable from its purpose. Mental health advocacy is deeply woven into my work and into what I want to do with the voice I’ve been given. I want to help make more space for the conversations we still hide from, for the feelings we bury to make other people comfortable, and for the people who are fighting battles that leave no visible wounds."

A singer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist, I Ya Toyah is DIY to the core from writing and production to performance. Her creative vision extends beyond the music, transforming live performances into immersive experiences somewhere between a ritual, a confession, and a beautiful malfunction. Balancing electronic intensity with emotional vulnerability, she brings an unmistakable presence to the stage -- one that is fierce, unpredictable, and unapologetically human.

Since her debut 'Code Blue', she has built an international presence, touring across the US, Canada, and Europe and sharing stages with Orgy, Cold, Stabbing Westward, Front Line Assembly, Wednesday 13, Beasto Blanco, and Stitched Up Heart. In 2026, she joined Front Line Assembly as main support throughout Europe and will close 2026 with her first UK tour, supporting Little Miss Nasty, seductive global icons of dark performance art and rebellious burlesque.

'White Walls' is out now and available everywhere, including Spotify, Apple Musicand Bandcamp, where her the I Ya Toyah catalogue can also be found. On November 20th, her 'Error Prospect: Human' EP will be released via Femme Fatale Records. Tickets for the UK tour can be ordered at https://www.iyatoyah.com/tour

CREDITS
Written and composed by I Ya Toyah
Produced by I Ya Toyah and Johnny K
Mixed by Johnny K
Mastered by Howie Weinberg
Released by Femme Fatale Records
Cover Artwork by Angelica Dulany
Video directed, filmed and edited by Alex Zarek
Production assistance and additional direction by Angelica Dulany
Additional assistance by Allison Ciletti
Makeup by Janet Debris
© ℗ I Ya Toyah / Femme Fatale Records 2026
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

UK TOUR (with Little Miss Nasty)
DEC 9, 2026 - Newcastle Upon Tyne @ The Cluny
DEC 10, 2026 - Glasgow @ Ivory Blacks
DEC 11, 2026 - Birmingham @ Asylum
DEC 15, 2026 - Brighton @ Patterns
DEC 16, 2026 - Bristol @ The Fleece
DEC 17, 2026 - Manchester @ Rebellion
DEC 18, 2026 - Swansea @ The Bunkhouse Bar And Music Venue
DEC 19, 2026 - London @ Underworld

Keep up with I Ya Toyah
Website | LinkTree | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | New Drops | Spotify | Apple Music | Booking contact | Press contact

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR
Website | Facebook | Twitter |Instagram | BlueSky | Threads | Soundcloud | LinkedIn | Ema il

ALIEN FAKTOR return after 28 years with defiant electro-industrial anthem 'Hanging by a Threat'

October 27, 2026

Electro-industrial music mavericks Alien Faktor return with 'Hanging by a Threat', a hard-hitting rage-fuelled anthem, attacking the news of the day with both emotion and insight. Channeling political disillusionment into a defiant call to resist hatred, intolerance and fascism, this is the first single from 'Stockholm Syndrome', the band's first new album in 28 years.

Band founder Thomas L. Muschitz returned from a lenghty hiatus to confront the issues of the day and shout truth to the world, that something is very wrong here. Heavy guitar accentuates bombastic percussion and stomp worthy synth programming, accentuated by samples of revolution.

Founded in Milwaukee in the early 1990s by Thomas L. Muschitz, Alien Faktor developed a distinctive sound that blends industrial noise, electronic dance rhythms, soundtrack influences, and elements of metal. Following a run of releases on Muschitz’s own Decibel Records and a Top 25 placement on CMJ’s Dance Chart, Alien Faktor went on hiatus at the end of the 1990s.

Now based in Madison, Wisconsin and reunited with bandmate Mike Hunsberger on guitar and programming, the duo has re-emerged with new material capturing the zeitgeist of our modern society. In late 2025, inspired by his work in film and audio production, and disgusted with the state of the world, Thomas Muschitz began writing the first of many songs for their first album in almost 30 years.

Those sessions laid the creative groundwork for 'Stockholm Syndrome', ushering in a new chapter, retaining the project's foundations while directing its creative energy toward the present. 'Hanging By A Threat' transforms political despair into a musical act of defiance. Its message is direct: kindness is strength, violence is weakness, compassion is art, and hate is disease.

“I have felt sickened at the state of my nation, and to a larger extent, many of the same issues that seem to be infecting the world at large. Turning despair into anger, and clinging to the vestiges of hope, I did the one thing that i have always done. Create art. It was time to return, to raise my voice and speak loudly," says Thomas L. Muschitz.

"My deepest desire is that this song is a rally cry among many other voices, a reminder that the power resides in the people, and we need to fight injustice, intolerance, fear, hate and this insidious rise of fascism, each of us in their own unique way.”

On 'Stockholm Syndrome', Alien Faktor revisits its classic 1990s sound through dark, cerebral electro-industrial music, shaped by fresh influences and modern production. Hard beats, noise effects, EBM synths, textural guitars, and psychedelic atmospheres expand the project’s abrasive foundations into a broader, genre-bending sound.

Bringing in sonic richness, this album was mastered by the legendary Greg Reely, known for his work with pioneering industrial acts such as Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, numerous artists on the Nettwerk label, and other award-winning acts like Delerium, Fear Factory and Sarah McLaughlin.

Alien Faktor’s recording career launched in 1994 with 'Abduction', the first-ever release on Decibel Records, followed by 'Desolate' (1995), 'Final Expenses' (1996) and 'Listen!' (1996). Hunsberger joined Alien Faktor for the 1997 album 'Arterial Spray... and Cattle Mutilations', which reached No. 20 on CMJ’s Dance Top 25 in February 1998. Their music was also remixed by such renowned as Joseph Bishara (Drown), Seibold (Hate Dept) and Matt Green (Spahn Ranch).

Recording at Chicago Trax, The Warehouse and their own Milwaukee studio, The Womb, Alien Faktor worked within Chicago’s industrial figures like Chris Randall (Sister Machine Gun) and Van Christie (Die Warzau).

Alien Faktor has also earned recognition for remix work with Caustic, Purr Machine, Pain Station, Collide, Swamp Terrorists, Leather Strip, and Psychic TV, featuring Genesis P-Orridge, in addition to covering Alanis Morissette’s 'You Oughta Know' for the compilation 'Nod’s Tacklebox o’ Fun', released by Re-Constriction Records. More recently, Alien Faktor has covered MGMT's synth-heavy hit 'Time To Pretend'.

At the end of the 1990s, as the music landscape shifted for artists and labels amid broader changes in the music industry, Decibel Records closed their doors and Alien Faktor went on indefinite hiatus.

Tying the band's future and past, the album art for 'Stockholm Syndrome' was created by James Barany, painter and professor at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, who also created the renowned painting for the cover of 'Arterial Spray... and Cattle Mutilations'.

As of October 27th, 'Hanging by a Threat' is available everywhere digitally, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. The 'Stockholm Syndrome' album will be released on January 15th.

CREDITS
All tracks written by Thomas L. Muschitz
except Track 2, music by Thomas L. Muschitz & lyrics by Matt Fanale
Thomas L. Muschitz - vocals, synths, programming, guitar, metal percussion
Mike Hunsberger - guitars (Tracks 1 & 10) and Bass (Track 10)
Matt Fanale - vocals (Track 2)
Steven Seibold - guitar, bass & additional production (Track 4)
Connie Ward - vocals (Track 8)
Produced, engineered & mixed by Thomas L. Muschitz
Mastered by Greg Reely
Publishing - Faktorsongs ASCAP 2026
Album UPC - 608657002622
CD Design by Henry Ingram
Album cover painting “Nomenclature of Sierpinski” 2026 by James Barany
Photography by Paige Gilberg
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

Keep up with Alien Faktor
Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Soundcloud | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | Press contact

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BlueSky | Threads | Soundcloud | LinkedIn | Ema il

JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN shares "We Don’t Own It" ahead of Real Life 20th Anniversary Tour, now with NZ / Australia dates

October 26, 2026

Arriving just one week before launching her Real Life 20th Anniversary Tour, iconic NYC singer-songwriter Joan As Police Woman presents 'We Don’t Own It'from her new album 'Real Life Evolution', a superb reimagining of her 2006 debut 'Real Life' album with a new cast of collaborators, released via UK label Reveal Records.

She also shares the final live performance video for that song from her Real Life Anniversary Sessions video series, while announcing a new set of confirmed live dates for her tour, bringing her show to New Zealand and Australian audiences.

Joan Wasser, known as Joan As Police Woman since 2004, is a critically acclaimed musician and producer, and a sought-after collaborator, dubbed “the coolest woman in pop” (The Times) and “one of the 21st century’s best musicians” (The Economist). As a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, her music defies easy categorization, crafting her own sound that blends various genres.

With two very different versions of this epic song, Joan's masterclass in self-reinvention proves that great songwriting isn't a static artifact locked in time, but a living, elastic template capable of transformation.

The album version, recorded by Danny Blume (Iggy Pop, Nick Lowe, Gavin Friday, Jewel, Lisa Loeb) at Hidden Quarry Studios in Bearsville, NY, finds Joan on vocals and synths, joined by Thomas Bartlett on bass and Parker Kindred on drums. A supple, forward-thinking groove, brimming with Grace Jones-esque swagger, reggae-touched rhythms, and subtle electronic touchpoints, the track breathes fresh, organic space into her signature sound.

In contrast, the soulful stripped-down Sessions performance video sees Joan in live trio format as she plays electric guitar, accompanied by Jeremy Gustin on drums and Will Graefe on acoustic guitar, each of them beautifully harmonizing vocals. Filmed at The Owl Music Parlor in Brooklyn by Ehud Lazin, the sound was recorded by Adam Sachs.

"I wrote this song after Elliott Smith died. Watching the frenzy around the details of his death, I recognized something I had learned years earlier when I lost my friend, my fiancé, my collaborator — Jeff Buckley. Grief makes us desperate for answers, but death doesn’t offer them. It makes even less sense to those who are deep in pain, mourning a friend, a family member, someone they admired. Death is something to sit with, not to solve," says Joan Wasser.

"Parker Kindred and I built this one around one of his vintage 80s drum machines — we’re both devoted to the Sly Stone approach of letting the drum machine drive the whole creative process. Thomas Bartlett holds it down on Rhodes bass while I let loose on keys. The song was never asking for more weight; it wanted to breathe, and this version allows it."

This new single arrives on the trail of 'Save Me', for which she teamed up with the illustrious Iggy Pop. Earlier, Joan shared intimate versions of 'Feed The Light', 'Eternal Flame', 'Flushed Chest', 'The Ride', 'Anyone', the title track 'Real Life', 'I Defy', and the invigorating 'Christobel'.

"Some transformations are subtle. Others are seismic. All of them were made with an entirely new cast of collaborators. Among them are two extraordinary vocalists. The inimitable Iggy Pop — whose band I’ve had the privilege of touring with, playing keys and singing — recorded a stunning version of 'Save Me' while we were on the road in New Zealand. We had to work around the birds outside, who apparently had strong opinions about the session. Then there’s Krystle Warren, a true original and one of my favorite singers alive. Her voice is so deeply soulful that 'I Defy' feels like it thoroughly enjoyed easily slipping into its brand new groove," says Joan Wasser.

Music has a way of taking on a life of its own, evolving and revealing new meaning as the years pass. Through countless performances, the new renditions on this extraordinary album are brought to life by the brilliance of the players who helped define their sound. This remarkable opportunity to hear Joan return to the music that helped define her artistic journey brings new perspective, texture, and energy to songs that have already stood the test of time.

Joan shares, "Will Graefe brings his emotionally masterful guitar work and Jeremy Gustin his remarkable rhythmic sensibility to several tracks. Parker Kindred’s inventive drum creations were the spark behind others. Thomas Bartlett unlocked a new dimension of the title track — honoring its original feeling while casting it in a warmer, amber light — and added Rhodes bass throughout. This album gave me the chance to reunite, decades on, with upright bassist Tony Scherr, guitarist Oren Bloedow, and funk bassist Danny Blume — musicians whose artistry has only deepened with time."

Joan As Police Woman has released ten albums of original material, two cover albums, and an anthology. She has recorded and performed with hundreds of artists, including Afrobeat legend Tony Allen, Lou Reed, Anohni & The Johnsons, Meshell Ndegeocello, Rufus Wainwright, John Cale, David Byrne, Dave Okumu, Chris Dowd, Lau, Scissor Sisters, Sparklehorse, Beck, Laurie Anderson, Lloyd Cole, Afel Bocoum, Dave Gahan, Tanya Donelly, Damon Albarn and Gorillaz.

Released 20 years to the day from her debut album, 'Real Life Evolution' is out everywhere digitally and on CD and Limited Edition exclusive red marble vinylon Bandcamp. Tickets for Joan's 'Real Life 20th Anniversary Tour' can be ordered at www.joanaspolicewoman.com/tour.

ALBUM CREDITS
All songs written by Joan Wasser
Published by Fists of Fury (BMI / Domino Publishing),
except “I Defy” written by Joan Wasser & Anohni (Rebis Music (ASCAP))
Produced by Joan Wasser except “I Defy”, “We Don’t Own It” and “Feed The Light” produced by Joan Wasser & Parker Kindred
Mixed by Patrick Dillett at Reservoir Studios
Mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound
Joan Wasser - vocals, piano, Wurlitzer, strings
Krystle Warren - vocals
Will Graefe - acoustic guitar
Jeremy Gustin - drums, vocals
Oren Bloedow - electric guitar
Danny Blume - electric bass
Parker Kindred - drums
Tony Scherr - upright bass
Krystal Warren - vocals on 'I Defy'
Iggy Pop - vocals on 'Save Me'
Album package concept, design & photos by Judi Rosen
(p) & (c) 2026 Sweet Police LLC under exclusive licence to Reveal Records
Recorded by Adam Sachs live at The Owl Music Parlor, Brooklyn, NYC
'Real Life Anniversary Session' video filmed by Ehud Lazin
Adam Sachs - audio recording engineer & mixer
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

REAL LIFE ANNIVERSARY TOUR
NOV 3 Katowice, Poland - Rialto
NOV 5 London, UK - Union Chapel
NOV 6 London, UK - Union Chapel
NOV 7 Manchester, UK - RNCM (Royal Northern College of Music)
NOV 9 Glasgow, UK - Oran Mor
NOV 11 Brugge, Belgium - Cactus Club
NOV 12 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Zonnehuis (sold out)
NOV 13 Hamburg, Germany - Mojo Club
NOV 15 Aarhus, Denmark - Train
NOV 16 Copenhagen, Denmark - DR Concert Hall
NOV 18 Budapest, Hungary - House of Music Hungary
NOV 22 Berlin, Germany - Haus des Rundfunks & Großer Sendesaal
FEB 12 Paris, France - Alhambra
FEB 14 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Zonnehuis
FEB 16 Bremen, Germany - Kulturzentrum Radio Bremen
FEB 17 Heidelberg, Germany - Kulturhaus Karlstorbahnhof
FEB 19 Schorndorf, Germany - Club Manufaktur
FEB 21 Brighton, UK - Komedia
FEB 22 Cambridge, UK - Cambridge Junction (J2)
FEB 23 Norwich, UK - Norwich Arts Centre
FEB 24 Leeds, UK - Howard Assembly Room
FEB 26 Bologna, Italy - Estragon Club
FEB 27 Milan, Italy - Santeria Toscana 31
MAR 6-7 Port Fairy, Australia - Port Fairy Folk Festival
MAR 9 Sydney, Australia - City Recital Hall
MAR 12 Melbourne, Australia - Melbourne Recital Centre
MAR 13 Geelong, Australia - Geelong Arts Centre
MAR 18 Christchurch, New Zealand - The Piano: Centre for Music and the Arts
MAR 19 Wellington, New Zealand - Old St Paul's
MAR 20 Auckland, New Zealand - SkyCity Theatre
MAY 5 Rome, Italy - MONK
MAY 23 Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 2

Keep up with Joan As Police Woman
Website | LinkTree | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | BandsInTown | Joanthology Podcast | Press contact

Keep up with Reveal Records
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Soundc loud | Press contact

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BlueSky | Threads | Soundcloud | LinkedIn | Ema il

Manchester's CAULBEARERS release debut album 'Come Back Home' October 30th, sharing urgent 'Brothers At The Wheel' video

October 25, 2026

Manchester-based outfit Caulbearers announces the release of their debut album 'Come Back Home' on October 30th, their latest collaboration featuring ethereal folk artist Ruth Blake. The band's first major release since their 2011 EP 'More Lie Deep', there are ten tracks on offer, sounding a rallying call for unity at the grassroots level and resistance to the forces intent on dividing us.

Apart from the band members themselves, this release involves several high-profile professionals, including Seadna McPhail (Badly Drawn Boy, Jah Wobble, Everything Everything, I Am Kloot, Happy Mondays), who handled the mixing. Recorded by Mahoney and Chris Hamilton at Toast Recordings and Seadna McPhail at Airtight Studio, this album was mastered by Jim Spencer (New Order, Johnny Marr, Charlatans, Factory Floor) at Eve Mastering.

A collective formed in 2007 and led by Damien Mahoney, Caulbearers are known for blending diverse musical styles, including soul, funk, hip-hop, indie pop, dub, nu jazz and folk influences. With contributors hailing from around the UK and Europe, their DIY ethic has coursed through every element of their releases, from design, production, videos and gigs to the recording process itself.

The lead track ‘Brothers At The Wheel’ traces a journey of political awakening - from a naive plea for those in power to change course before disaster hits, to disillusionment at hollow words and empty promises that leave the status quo.

The accompanying video presents an uncompromising challenge to the power structures governing modern life, while ultimately offering solidarity and collective action as an alternative to despair. Exploring "the wheel" as a machine built to continually turn for profit and power regardless of the cost to people, communities and the planet, visual artist Latent Variables blends animation, photography and video to reflectthe different stages and emotions of this epic song.

An important motif in the video is the breaking apart of everything we know; people, environments, plants and buildings shatter, with the notion that we have to consciously bring these pieces back together to heal and to create something new.

Collaborating with Manchester MC, poet and reggae artist J Chambers, Damien Mahoney filmed original footage around his neighbourhood to epitomise the song’s major themes. Locations with abandoned and boarded up buildings contrast with colourful murals by local artists.

“I see the two murals featured in the video almost every day as they are really close to my house. They bring a much-needed display of beauty, nature and hope in what is a very urban environment. I live in a very multi-cultural area and I feel that both the song and the video express the notion that a shared struggle exists for many people, which echoes in other streets, other words, other languages,” says Damien Mahoney.

With an unrelenting groove, strings, bass, and keys are locked into a single insistent pattern.. Past the tempo shift, the song opens into a second movement: a soaring, wordless lament by Ruth Blake — a beautiful and mournful, yet defiant, celebration of the human spirit. Underneath, the arrangement builds in waves — guitars layering, cello and violin rising, keys, bass and drums gathering weight — swelling to a crescendo before dissolving.

'Brothers At The Wheel' is available everywhere digitally, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, capturing the awakening in full — appeal, disillusionment, and the turn toward unity. Caulbearers' 'Come Back Home' album is out October 30th via Single Cell Recordings.

INCA BABIES' HARRY STAFFORD and MARCO BUTCHER re-emerge with foreboding 'Time Always Knows' single

October 21, 2026

Manchester underground music icon Harry Stafford and American trash blues guitarist Marco Butcher are back with their first new music in three years. 'Time Always Knows' heralds their forthcoming album 'Skyscraper Superhighway', out in January 2027 via Black Lagoon Records.

The lyrics reflect on the bittersweet experience of watching an intense past romance fade into distant, abstract memories over time. As vivid details dissolve like smoke, Stafford sits with the lingering weight of a fleeting yet deep connection, ultimately coming to accept the loss and recognizing that time carries its own quiet wisdom, eventually bringing closure.

With a sound that virtually meshes a film soundtrack score with a fleeting love song, the duo offers a sublime moment of contemporary noir. Wiith his production and backwards guitars, Marco allows Harry’s beloved John Barry Esq guitar to float these atmospheric textures throughout the song.

Filmed, edited, produced and directed by Harry Stafford, the accompanying video was filmed in the Manchester neighbourhood of Didsbury on a chilly night in October. From a lyrical perspective, Harry has searched deeper to recall the stories and moments that moved him and trigged his curiosity. Within the song, there lies a lyrical foreboding that ultimately finds some joy from contemporary despair.

“I had the music for a while, which sounded like a spin on John Barry’s film music and the heavily reverbed guitars of a Morricone score. The melancholy of it seemed to beg for the lyrics of a hapless love song to be sung across it, but it’s still, in essence, a kind of soundtrack song," explains Harry Stafford.

"Marco, who is heavily into film score music, immediately wanted to add some percussion and a bass line and in the production process decided a backwards guitar would add to the despair.”

Stafford and Butcher’s creative bromance began during lockdown in 2020, sparking an unlikely fusion of English post-punk and Brazilian trash blues. Their third album delivers another vivid collision of ideas from two artists long established at the cult fringes of the music industry, who are pushing deeper into their imaginative soundscapes and noir storytelling.

Harry Stafford, who is founder, singer and guitarist for Mancunian gothic-noise merchants Inca Babies, has toured worldwide and released ten albums with the group. His collaborations with The Membranes, Simon Ding Archer, Inspiral Carpets' Clint Boon, Kevin G. Davy and Public Image Ltd's Keith Levene reflect his drive to expand the boundaries of what is possible within the not inconsequential arena of his musical experience.

Marco Butcher, through his work with The Jazz Messengers and Kurt Wolf (Pussy Galore), has released albums spanning jazz, blues, symphonic percussion and electro darkwave. His prolific output has seen him release a multitude of diverse albums and EPs through various projects. His drumming and sense of rhythmic backbone has a compatible melodic imagination and instinct to bend the familiar into unfamiliar shapes, feeling strangely connected to his fellow musicians, especially Harry Stafford.

Brilliantly showcasing their amazing six years of collaboration, 'Skyscraper Superhighway' is the third album from Harry Stafford and Marco Butcher, following 'We Are The Perilous Men' in 2023 and 'Bone Architecture' album in 2021. Here, their shared ideas, cathartic moments, striking melodies, and chaotic-to-serendipitous riffs and beats converge to create a truly exciting collection of songs and ideas.

Somewhere along the way, using every conceivable instrument that can be plucked, struck, bowed, blown or programmed, they have drawn twelve songs from the ether and shaped them into this worthwhile record. From the John Barry-esq soundtrack of 'Time Always Knows' to the electro beat percussion of the title track 'Skyscraper Superhighway', Harry and Marco have dug deep into their musical vaults to explore yet further areas of invention and discovery.

This new album was recorded between Harry's studio in Manchester, and Marco’s Boombox Studio in North Carolina. Files and WAV forms were swapped down the line and the songs took shape, sometimes immediately and, other times, with the wailing and gnashing of teeth as they both agonised over the ability to be excellent not perfect. It was all worth it in the long run.

As of October 21st, 'Time Always Knows' is available from fine music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. The 'Skyscraper Superhighway' album will be released on CD and digitally on January 15, 2027.

CREDITS
Music written by Harry Stafford and Marco Butcher
Lyrics by Harry Stafford
Harry Stafford - vocals, lead guitar and strings
Marco Butcher - bass and backwards guitar
Recorded by Harry Stafford and Marco Butcher
Produced & Mastered by Marco Butcher at Boombox Studio, North Carolina
Released via Black Lagoon Records
Catalogue no. BLRCD0062
Video filmed, edited, produced and directed by Harry Stafford
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

LYRICS
In this world and in the air, there’s something I can’t solve
I see the way she drops her coat, I hear her name dissolve
But that was long ago, and so her name floats in the clouds
I loved her at that very moment, lost love in the smoke surrounds.
And if Time never seems enough, it’s true time it always knows.

Keep up with Harry Stafford
Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter | Instagram | Soundcloud | YouTube | Vimeo | Spotify | Apple Music | Booking contact | Press contact

Keep up with Marco Butcher
Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter | Spotify | Apple Music | Press contact

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BlueSky | Threads | Soundcloud | LinkedIn | Ema il

Tri-state rock veterans JACK'S MAZE confront loss & regret on emotionally-charged single "The Edge"

October 20, 2026

American prog rockers Jack's Maze present their new single 'The Edge', an anthem on loss, regret, and enduring love. This song explores the pain and healing surrounding the loss of a friend, time, words unsaid, and the realization that love cannot always save someone.

The second taste of Jack's Maze's forthcoming album 'Once In A Blue Moon',follows the lead track 'Let It Go' - a driving, dark melodic, emotional progressive rock song, released in September. Set for release in January 2027 via RPM Entertainment, this album opens the next chapter of their storied history.

The original lineup featured Frank Cinquegrana on lead vocals, Robin Ross on keyboards and guitars, Scott Cowan on guitar, Joe Torres on bass, Joe Granowski on drums, and Bill Snyder on lead guitar. Their music draws from progressive and classic rock, and are influenced by Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rush, early Genesis and Mozart.

"I wrote the music and lyrics for 'The Edge' a couple of years back after Jack’s Maze guitarist Bill Snyder suddenly passed away. So, it’s a call to him. Asking him if he hears us carrying on for him. And regrets I had, unable to reach out or do something to catch him before he fell off the edge!" says Frank Cinquegrana.

"As I was getting all this down in my head and on paper it made me think of other close friends and band mates too, such as our first lead guitarist Jimmy Gentilin who took his life several years before."

'The Edge' emphasizes that, even in absence, something beautiful endures beyond one's life - the song remains, carried in memory and sustained by love. Ultimately, it is both a tribute to someone lost and a reminder to reach for one another while we still can.

Originally based in Hightstown, New Jersey, Jack’s Maze originally cut their teeth as Laughing Jack in the early 90's in the New York tri-state scene and built a solid reputation in NYC and surrounding states.

By 1993, the band completed their debut album ‘Life In The Maze’, which was subsequently shelved. Despite never receiving an official release at the time, the album remains an important part of the band’s story. That music quietly waited nearly three decades to be discovered when the band reunited in 2021to bring that unfinished chapter to life.

In 2024, Jack’s Maze released this album, pleasing fans who had awaited this moment. The powerful track 'Big Machines' emerged as the band’s anthem—a fitting representation of the energy, ambition, and timeless character of their music.

After resurfacing, the band inched closer to their second album. Cinquegrana's broad musical perspective and powerful storytelling remain central to the identity of Jack’s Maze. Developing the band's progressive-rock sound and original compositions with Robin Ross, Scott Cowan, and Joe Torres, they have been able to continue exploring the many musical influences that define Jack’s Maze through songwriting, recording and collaboration that continues to drive the band's creative vision.

For Robin Ross, the decades in between have been productive. A multi-faceted musician, songwriter, and producer who has released numerous albums, he has also designed and developed several recording studios.

Now a figure in the creative pulse of Milford, Pennsylvania, Ross has since grown his current hub, Baa Baa Leaf Music, into a creative sanctuary. It is here where he recorded, mixed and produced this new album, working alongside famed master engineer Jonathan Duckett (Phillip Glass, Kenny G, David Sanborn).

Jack’s Maze is more than a band - it is a story of music, friendship, perseverance, and unfinished dreams finally brought back to life. The band’s journey proves that great music never dies. Driven by an enduring love of music, they continue to celebrate the sound they created decades ago, while keeping the spirit of progressive rock alive for a new generation. The maze may have started in 1989, but their journey is far from over.

On October 20, 'The Edge' is out across digital platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music and Bandcamp, where their 'Life In The Maze' album is also available on CD or digital download.

CREDITS
Music by Frank Cinquegrana, Robin Ross, Scott Cowan, Joe Torres
Lyrics by Frank Cinquegrana
Frank Cinquegrana – vocals & drums
Robin Ross – keyboards
Scott Cowan – guitar & background vocals
Joe Torres – bass
Recorded at Baa Baa Leaf Studio in Milford, PA
Produced, recorded & mixed by Robin Ross
Supervising engineer Jonathan Duckett
Video produced by Tina Ross
Publishing & booking: RPM Entertainment Enterprises, LLC
Band photos by Tina Ross
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

Keep up with Jack’s Maze
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music | Press contact

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BlueSky | Threads | Soundcloud | LinkedIn | Ema il

Lou Reed immortalized: Chris Connelly presents 'Doo Wop In The Dark: A Portrait of Lou Reed' album

October 16, 2026

Iconic Chicago-based artist Chris Connelly has released his new album 'Doo Wop In The Dark: A Portrait of Lou Reed', via Shipwrecked Industries with distribution by Virtual Label. This colossal 21-track offering is a bombastic reflection on artistic inheritance, tracing how Reed’s restless, confrontational sensibility helped shape Connelly’s own creative identity.

The album focus track 'Bye Bye Johnny Viola' highlights a pivotal period for Lou Reed. Connelly explains, "'Bye Bye Johnny Viola' is a postmortem on John Cale being fired from the Velvet Underground. Like 'House of 70's', the timeline whirls with events of the time: it's 1968, Valerie Solanas has shot Andy Warhol, 'White Light/White Heat' was a sonic hammer on the hippie dream, and Lou sent Sterling Morrison round to John's apartment to fire him."

Previewed by 'Nothin' But A Rock Song' with video by Glasgow's Iain Mutch / Walkerandwilliam, and the lead track 'House of 70's' with video produced by Someoddpilot Studios and directed by Chris Eichenseer of Some Odd Pilot, this record presents a unique mix, including Lou Reed compositions -- spanning his career from the Velvet Underground onwards -- and songs penned by Connelly, detailing the creative and often turbulent path of Reed's life from his teenage years through to his death in 2013.

Moving between tenderness, menace, alienation, decadence and damaged beauty, Reed is treated not simply as an influence to be celebrated, but as a catalyst for an entire way of making music. The result is both deeply personal and deliberately expansive: a record about finding your own voice by wrestling with the voices that came before you, and about how an artist’s work can become part of another's emotional and creative vocabulary

'Doo Wop In The Dark' echoes Connelly's acclaimed 2022 album 'Eulogy to Christa: A Tribute to the Music & Mystique of Nico' - one of the most unique, tragic and misunderstood female artists in the history of modern music. Similarly, this new album is dedicated to the wildfire, tempestuous spirit of Lewis Allan Reed (a.k.a. Lou Reed), as well as Chris's dear friend Zak Boerger (1973 -2025).

While mostly produced by Connelly and his Sons of the Silent Age bandmate Alan Holden Berliant, four tracks from this album were produced by Chris Bruce (Meshell Ndegeocello, Seal, Aaron Neville, Bob Dylan, The Waterboys, Sheryl Crow). Mixed by Berliant and Bruce from 2023 to 2026, this record was mastered by James Scott at Populist Recording & Mastering.

ALBUM CREDITS
Chris Connelly - vocals, guitar, harmonium, bass, keyboards, glockenspiel
Chris Bruce - guitar, programming, bass, keyboards, pedal steel guitar
Alan Holden Berliant - guitar, keyboards, bass, programming

Jebin Bruni - additional keyboards on 'Bye Bye Johnny Viola'

Produced by Chris Connelly & Alan Holden Berliant,

except 'Babyface', 'Bye Bye Johnny Viola', 'Doin’ The Things That We Want To' and 'One Too Many Mysteries' produced by Chris Bruce

Mixed by Alan Holden Berliant & Chris Bruce in Chicago & New York (2023-2026)

Mastered by James Scott at Populist Recording & Mastering
Liner notes by Aidan Levy
Cover photography by Derick Smith
Cover layout by Kimberly Blessing
Published by: Sony/ATV Music, Universal Music Group, Sister Ray Enterprises, Concord Music
© and ℗ 2026 Chris Connelly - All rights reserved

Released by Shipwrecked Industries LLC

'Nothin' But A Rock Song' video produced by Iain Mutch a.k.a. Walkerandwilliam
'House of 70's' video produced by Someoddpilot Studios
Directed and edited by Chris Eichenseer
Dancers: Kira Ledholm, Jay Drenkel
Management: Kimberly Blessing at Shipwrecked Industries
Chris Connelly photos by Derick Smith
Publicity by Shauna McLarnon at Shameless Promotion PR

New Jersey's RAISED ON CANDY unveil 'Red M&M', teasing follow-up to Steve Albini-produced debut album

October 14, 2026

New Jersey alt-rock outfit Raised On Candy presents 'Red M&M', the second taste of their new album 'Play Marbles on the Turnpike', out in mid-November via Magic Door Record Label. Beneath its pull, the track hints at something far more unsettling, where desire and menace become difficult to separate. Its cryptic imagery and creeping sense of unease lend the song a dark, almost surreal quality.

Raised On Candy is Joe Penna (vocals, guitars) and Scotty Imp (drums, cymbals). Formed from the ashes of the band Buteo, Raised On Candy is the next step in the evolution of their music, weaving old school indie-rock and post-punk nuggets into tasty sonic delicacies. They've always called Montclair, New Jersey their home base. Scotty lives there and, while Joe lives in Riverside, Connecticut, he was born in Montclair and grew up in the nearby community of Toms River.

'Red M&M' is the second offering from a record that finds the duo expanding their noisy, hook-heavy sound without losing their wonderfully unruly edge. Built to hit hard, take this album takes multiple unexpected turns, the effect resonating well after the ride stops.

Raised On Candy produced this album together with Ray Ketchem (Guided By Voices, Luna, Elk City, Gramercy Arms, The Dambuilders), who also engineered, mixed and mastered it at Magic Door Recording Studio in Montclair. With a minimalist interplay of melodic vocals, slow burn builds and massive hooks, precise rhythms unite with pyro-friendly guitars, transforming chaos into sharp, noisy rock.

"This song is about someone who wants what someone else has and is using fear as a means of obtaining it, disguised as seduction. Before it’s too late, the spell is broken and the tables turn," explains Joe Penna.

"It's all about the atmospherics that are present throughout the song, which slowly wind their way to an inevitable, mortal confrontation. It reminds me a lot of an epic David vs Goliath battle, with the underdog eventually rising up and taking out that big ol’ bully once and for all."

In September, Raised On Candy shared 'Pickle Eyes', a tightly wound blast of melodic tension and explosive guitar-driven release. Equal parts melodic earworm and noisy joyride, the track barrels out of the gate with wiry guitars, explosive rhythms and an unmistakably off-kilter charm. It's a tantalizing glimpse of an album that promises sharp hooks, combustible guitars and plenty of glorious left turns.

Scotty and Joe met over 20 years ago through a mutual friend, but it wasn't until after the demise of Joe's band Transit Belle around 2005 that they would collaborate. They formed the band Buteo, which eventually parted ways around 2010 after releasing one album and touring. While Joe pretty much stopped playing music, Scotty continued playing drums in Overlake and Stuyvesant, the latter of which he still plays with today. In 2022, Joe returned to songwriting, leading to the birth of Raised On Candy.

Raised On Candy's self-titled debut album was recorded with legendary producer-engineer Steve Albini (Nirvana, Pixies, PJ Harvey, Robert Plant & Jimmy Page, The Breeders, Bush, Cheap Trick) at Electrical Audio and mastered by Matthew Barnhart (Superchunk, The New Pornographers, Bob Mould, The Mountain Goats) at Chicago Mastering Service. This would be one of the last records Steve ever worked on before passing away in May, adding a whole new level of emotion to this album, which would be released in July 2024.

"Joe had previously worked with Steve on a record for his band Transit Belle in 2002. Working with Steve was amazing. He made so many records we love; it was a no-brainer. He provided a ton of creative input into how the record should sound, and also added subtle but noticeable effects to make things amazing, as well as providing a ton of input as to the overall mix and vibe of the songs."

On October 13th, 'Red M&M' is online everywhere digitally, includingSpotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. The 'Play Marbles On The Turnpike' album, now available for pre-order, will be released on November 13th.

CREDITS
Music written by Joe Penna and Scotty Imp
Lyrics written by Joe Penna
Joe Penna - Guitar, Vocals, Bass, Synths
Scotty Imp - Drums, Cymbals, Percussion, Piano, Backing Vocals
Produced by Raised On Candy with Ray Ketchem
Engineered, Mixed & Mastered by Ray Ketchem
Recorded at Magic Door Recording, Montclair, NJ from October 2025 to June 2026
Artwork design by Ray Ketchem
Released by Magic Door Record Label
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

California's SOFT SCIENCE unveil 'Without' video, highlighting their fifth album 'Sand'

October 13, 2026

Northern California quintet Soft Science presents 'Without', a standout track from their fifth album 'Sand', their most focused, poignant collection to date, newly released via Shelflife Records in North America and Spinout Nuggets in the UK.

Showcasing creative blend of vibrant vocals, layered harmonies, cascading guitars and electronic textures, the accompanying video was created by Italian visionary Francesca Bonci, known for her work with The Dandy Warhols,Federale (Brian Jonestown Massacre's Collin Hegna), Pete International Airport, Slowdive's Rachel Goswell, and Tombstones In Their Eyes, among others.

Soft Science features Katie Haley (lead vocals, percussion), brothers Matt Levine(lead guitar) and Ross Levine (guitar, backing vocals), partners Tony Cale (drums) and Becky Cale (bass, backing vocals), along with frequent collaborator Hans Munz (electronics).

"‘Without’ is one of my favorite songs on 'Sand'. It drifts slightly outside our usual orbit, built around a lyric that is both simple and quietly expansive: “There are things I do without, there are things that I can be without.” Those few words open a much larger question: in a world always urging us to want more, what can we release?' asked vocalist Katie Haley.

"Maybe it’s the pull of possessions, things in the world beyond our control, or the worry, destructive thoughts, and stressful situations we carry within us. Over the past few years, I’ve become more intentional about what I absorb and what I allow to take root in my mind, protecting space for my mental health and happiness. Sometimes less leaves room for more, and this sonic, psychedelic song floats through that possibility."

Pairing gauzy textures with restless momentum, Soft Science blends dream pop, shoegaze, and indie rock into a sound that is hypnotic, melodic, and emotionally direct, producing lush, transportive songs that balance melody, harmony, and rhythm.

"We used a reversed lead guitar on ‘Spinning,’ then experimented with reversing the rhythm guitars on ‘Without,’ which created a great vibe. Hans’ contribution to the breakdown is also one of the highlights of the entire record. For the ‘Without’ video, we wanted to move beyond a traditional band performance and create a more conceptual piece," explains guitarist Ross Levine.

"Shauna at Shameless Promotion PR connected us with Francesca Bonci, and we love what she created for the song. As we worked through the concept, I suggested incorporating. breakdancing silhouettes, which she wove into the psychedelic, dreamlike sequence. We’re very happy with the result and feel the visuals deepen the experience of the song."

Building on their signature sound, 'Sand' is both intimate and expansive - rooted in melody, atmosphere, and emotional depth. Across these ten songs, they pair shimmering textures with renewed urgency, offering an immersive record that explores the fragile, cyclical nature of love, tracing how relationships can shift beneath our feet while still offering moments of clarity, devotion, hope, and renewal.

Previewed by the singles 'Spinning', 'Understand' and 'Fade', the album emits a strong sense of being stuck in cycles: spinning, circling, repeating old patterns, trying to be heard, trying to understand what went wrong. Propulsive energy, ethereal vocals and luminous guitars unite as Soft Science finds beauty in moments that inevitably slip away.

Critically acclaimed, Soft Science has done live sessions at KEXP, WFMU and Part-Time Punks, and performed at New York Popfest, Paris Popfest, The Big Takeover’s 35th Anniversary show, Schellraiser Festival, Tremolo Fest, Dreamgaze PDX, and other festivals across the USA. Soft Science was also highlighted on Sound Opinions’ “Shoegaze Genre Dissection” as one of the hosts’ recent genre favorites (August 21, 2026, Show 1082).

Soft Science's latest album 'Lines' (2023) was preceded by 'Maps' (2018), 'Detour' (2013), and 'Highs and Lows' (2011), along with a split 7” with The Luxembourg Signal (2015) and The House of Love cover ‘I Don’t Know Why I Love You’ and a rendition of Northern Picture Library's ‘Paris’ (2018). With 'Sand', Soft Science pushes further into the noisier edges of dream pop while preserving the hooks, texture and emotive resonance at the center of their work. Examining how love, memory and identity are shaped by change, they ask what it means to stay connected in an uncertain world.

'Sand' is out September 4 on CD and vinyl, with digital availability through major streaming and download platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.

ALBUM CREDITS
Lyrics written by Katie Haley & Ross Levine
All songs written by Katie Haley, Ross Levine, Matt Levine, Becky Cale & Tony Cale
except 'Thread', 'Without' and 'Sway' are written by
Katie Haley, Ross Levine, Matt Levine, Becky Cale, Tony Cale & Hanz Munz
Katie Haley - vocals, percussion
Ross Levine - backing vocals, synths, additional guitars
Matt Levine - guitar
Becky Cale - bass guitar, backing vocals
Tony Cale - drums
Hans Munz - additional electronics
Recorded at Shattered Records and The Pool House
Engineered by Jack O'Donnell
Additional Engineering by Ross Levine
Mixed by Kev Bolus at OneEleven
Mastered by Antony Ryan at RedRedPaw
Produced by Soft Science
Artwork by John Conley
c @ p Shelflife Records / Spinout Nuggets 2026
Vinyl UPC code 759159696649 / CD UPC code 759159696656
Video by Francesca Bonci
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

Keep up with Soft Science
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Soundcloud | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | Press contact

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BlueSky | Threads | Soundcloud | LinkedIn | Ema il

Alt-rock icon CHRIS CONNELLY teases 'Bye Bye Johnny Viola' (on JOHN CALE) ahead of new album celebrating LOU REED

October 13, 2026

Iconic Scottish-born Chicago-based artist Chris Connelly will be releasing his new album 'Doo Wop In The Dark: A Portrait of Lou Reed' via Shipwrecked Industries with distribution by Virtual Label. This colossal 21-track offering is a bombastic reflection on artistic inheritance, tracing how Reed’s restless, confrontational sensibility helped shape Connelly’s own creative identity.

Ahead of that, Connelly presents 'Bye Bye Johnny Viola', following the lead tracks 'Nothin' But A Rock Song' and 'House of 70's'. He explains, "'Bye Bye Johnny Viola' is a postmortem on John Cale being fired from the Velvet Underground. Like'House of 70's', the timeline whirls with events of the time: it's 1968, Valerie Solanas has shot Andy Warhol, 'White Light/White Heat' was a sonic hammer on the hippie dream, and Lou sent Sterling Morrison round to John's apartment to fire him."

'Doo Wop In The Dark: A Portrait of Lou Reed' presents a unique mix, including Lou Reed compositions -- spanning his career from the Velvet Underground onwards -- and songs penned by Connelly, detailing the creative and often turbulent path of Reed's life from his teenage years through to his death in 2013.

Moving between tenderness, menace, alienation, decadence and damaged beauty, Reed is treated not simply as an influence to be celebrated, but as a catalyst for an entire way of making music. The result is both deeply personal and deliberately expansive: a record about finding your own voice by wrestling with the voices that came before you, and about how an artist’s work can become part of another's emotional and creative vocabulary.

'Doo Wop In The Dark' echoes Connelly's acclaimed 2022 album 'Eulogy to Christa: A Tribute to the Music & Mystique of Nico' - one of the most unique, tragic and misunderstood female artists in the history of modern music. Similarly, this new album is dedicated to the wildfire, tempestuous spirit of Lewis Allan Reed (a.k.a. Lou Reed), as well as Chris's dear friend Zak Boerger (1973 -2025).

Connelly shares a story to highlight the meaning of this album to him:
"The kid was out shopping with his mother: a mandated, boring, endless Saturday afternoon. Spring, maybe summer, 1974. Downtown Edinburgh, some department store. On Princes Street, she shopped; he wandered aimlessly from the toys to the records. He was too old for toys, and didn’t really care about records – not yet – but something caught his nine year-old eye: a nightmarish yet beautiful photo of a strange yellow ghost. Not man not woman, all ghost, as yellow as the sodium street light that illuminated the streets there at night. The ghost seemed to be dancing, arms aloft, blurry jewelry, black lips, dead eyes. It was the Rock N Roll animal.

Fast forward to 2026, and 52 years later the same kid is still obsessed with the same photo. The same kid ended up buying the record in the late 70s or early 80s when he was informed by everything that this untamable spirit was every bit the drug dervish, serpent king of NYC, and the encapsulation and custodian of all the real rock myths, along with Iggy, Bowie, and The Dolls."

That kid is Chris Connelly, who now brings us 'Doo Wop In The Dark' -- arguably his finest work to date -- along with supporting videos, select live dates, and sleeve notes by Lou Reed biographer Aidan Levy (author of https://aidan-levy.com/books/).

An alternative music icon, Connelly has been making music for over four decades. Since his days with Fini Tribe, he has consistently pushed the creative envelope through such projects as Ministry, The Revolting Cocks and Pigface, as well as his solo work (with over 20 releases) or the four books he has authored. 2025 brought Fini Tribe's 3-disc anthology "The Sheer Action of Fini Tribe: 1982-1987', preceded by 'The Lives and Loves of the Serial Homesick, Vol. 1', an album dedicated to his beloved Edinburgh and 'The Birthday Poems' featuring Monica Queen (Belle and Sebastian, Thrum).

On October 16th, 'Doo Wop In The Dark' will be released everywhere digitally, including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon and Bandcamp, where it is also available as a limited edition two-CD set. A selection of tracks is also being made available on vinyl.

Jebin Bruni - additional keyboards on 'Bye Bye Johnny Viola'

Produced by Chris Connelly & Alan Holden Berliant,

except 'Babyface', 'Bye Bye Johnny Viola', 'Doin’ The Things That We Want To' and 'One Too Many Mysteries' produced by Chris Bruce

Mixed by Alan Holden Berliant & Chris Bruce in Chicago & New York (2023-2026)

Released by Shipwrecked Industries LLC

Darkwave-shoegaze pioneers Lowsunday revisit ‘Call Silence’ with 2 distinct electronic music visionaries

October 10, 2026

Pittsburgh-based darkwave-shoegaze pioneers Lowsunday present 'Call Silence Remixed', a 2-track released via Projekt Records, involving two artists with deep histories in the dark-music world, each of them finding their own unique way to re-envision the same song. Taking the original 'Call Silence' in radically different directions, together, they create a striking conversation between post-punk, EBM, industrial, darkwave, drone and ethereal music.

The 'Silent Tribe Remix' by Psychotribe (aka Peter Guellard from DEATĦ B¥ LØVE) pushes the song into EBM and electronic territory, transforming its post-punk tension into something darker, more mechanical and hypnotic. The 'Call Silence' Remix by Sam Rosenthal (founder of Projekt Records and the creative force behind Black Tape For A Blue Girl), uses stark drones, spacious electronic layers and distant vocals to uncover a more vulnerable, emotional and atmospheric side.

Formed in 1994 as Low Sunday Ghost Machine, they emerged as a "retro-futurist" pioneer, blending darkwave and shoegaze long before the genres saw their modern revival. Their legacy was cemented with extended re-releases of their 1996 debut album 'Low Sunday Ghost Machine' and 1999 masterpiece 'Elesgiem' (for their 30th and 25th anniversaries). Having played an integral role in Lowsunday’s history over the years, Rosenthal served as an important catalyst in their return to music in 2025 after a nearly 25-year hiatus, now a duo made up of original member Shane Sahene (vocals, guitar, synth, bass, drums) and Bobby Spell (bass, guitar, drums).

Their recently-released 'Low Sunday Ghost Machine - Black EP' and preceding ‘White EP' (ranked second in Post-Punk.com's Best EPs of 2025) presents the band's first new material released since 1999. Both a reflection and a resurgence, these Lowsunday releases usher in a welcome return, marked by superb production and a renewed creative clarity, bridging three decades of distinct sonic legacy with balanced doses of escapism, dreamlike sounds, drones and feedback.

Lowsunday also present a stunning noir video for 'Call Silence - Silent Tribe Remix by Psychotribe', starring Shane Sahene and Sereny Welsby. Capturing tension between partners, perfectly set amidst brutalist backdrops like the University of Pittsburgh’s Posvar Hall, this video was filmed, produced and directed by Peter Guellard. Enormous concrete surfaces, repeating geometric patterns, tunnels, corridors, and overwhelming architectural scale provided exactly the intended atmosphere.

"Peter Guellard is an incredibly driven and talented musician and producer. He takes this somewhere completely outside of anything we would've done and his video offers an entirely different experience. What began as a Hitchcock type drama, full of possible endings and unanswered questions, became something deeper—a beautifully constructed mystery. He has captured its coldness, its darkness, its depth, and its contrasts with awesome precision. The imagery has the power of a still ocean: seemingly calm on the surface, yet immense, mysterious, and full of worlds beneath it," says Shane Sahene.

"Sam Rosenthal’s remix captured a vulnerability we seldom show, bringing a completely different vision. The stark, droning layers and almost percussive reverbs create a palpable mood. He managed to uncover and amplify the emotional sentiment within the song, while making it feel entirely new. It’s been an honor to have our song reimagined by two people we have so much respect and appreciation for."

Bobby Spell adds, "Peter’s visual interpretation is as stark as that particular architecture and surroundings, visually creating a feeling of insignificance and loneliness. The feeling of isolation it creates is palpable and Sereny’s and Shane's characters compound that feeling with their apparent detachment. Peter had a clear vision of exactly what he wanted to do with it".

As of October 9, 'Call Silence Remixed' is out everywhere, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. Lowsunday's two limited edition vinyl EPs and their expanded anniversary reissue albums are also available via Projekt Records' store. Further, Lowsunday's 'She Follows Rain' was also recently released as part of Cherry Red Records' 4-CD boxset 'We Are The Beautiful'.

Lowsunday perform next at Pittsburgh's Brillobox on Friday, October 9. Presented by Play Alone Records, they join Choir Boy., along with Crash Davidian and DJ Krass Advert.

CREDITS
Lyrics by Shane Sahene
Track 1 written by Shane Sahene, Bobby Spell & Peter Guellard
Produced by Peter Guellard
Track 2 written by Shane Sahene, Bobby Spell & Sam Rosenthal
Produced by Sam Rosenthal
Mastering & cover artwork by Shane Sahene
Released via Projekt Records
Video filmed, produced & directed by Peter Guellard
Starring Shane Sahene & Sereny Welsby
Publicity by Shauna McLarnon for Shameless Promotion PR

Keep up with Lowsunday
Website | LinkTree | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Soundcloud | TikTok | Spotify | Apple Music | Amazon | Press contact

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BlueSky | Threads | Soundcloud | LinkedIn | Ema il

Montreal indie rock artist Martin Saint explores the art of leaving on “Endless Bridge" single

October 6, 2026

Montreal-based indie rock/alt-pop artist Martin Saint presents his new single "Endless Bridge", a poignant exploration of love, loss, forgiveness, and letting go. The song follows a relationship from its tender, snow-covered beginnings through heartbreak and separation, ultimately arriving at the possibility of reconciliation and emotional release.

Drawing on the atmospheric DNA of ’80s artists such as The Mission, The Church and Echo and the Bunnymen, "Endless Bridge" evokes changing seasons, long distances, and the passage of time. Its imagery moves between the innocence of early romance, a sense of divine grace, and the vulnerability of confronting what remains after two people part.

At its core, the song is about what happens when love is tested by time and distance. Rather than holding on at all costs, the narrator gradually arrives at a place of acceptance—where forgiveness becomes a form of freedom, and letting go becomes its own expression of love. The final image, like an offering carried out to sea, captures that surrender: painful, beautiful, and ultimately liberating.

Martin Saint is a Montreal-based singer-songwriter who is perhaps best known as lead singer and guitarist of The Ember Glows and Citylake prior to that. Since The Ember Glows parted ways in 2024 after half a decade and a solid string of releases, Martin has established himself as a solo artist. Apart from writing, recording and performing his own music, he also collaborates with a handful of fellow Montreal artists, such as Johnny Couteau, SU, DJ Sarcastic, and HJ & The Constellations.

"Endless Bridge" is Martin's first new music since his full-length "Seekers" album, released in spring of 2025. With glimmers of Nick Cave, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Bauhaus and The Doors infused through his work, his music presents a unique cinematic mood permeated by poetic lyrics, baritone vocals, and hooks over soundscapes.

"The song "Endless Bridge" is about as close to a love song as I’ll ever get, but there’s a bittersweetness to it. Beginnings, endings, renewals. It expresses faith in the future and letting go of forces holding us back, even if this may take a lifetime. There’s definitely a spiritual undertone tucked in there. Musically, I wanted something that’d sound epic. Something that is melancholic and foggy, but ultimately also uplifting and catchy," says Martin Saint.

"In between the two albums, I went back into the studio to re-record "Endless Bridge", one of my holder songs that I had originally released back in 2017 with my former band Citylake. I felt this song, in particular, deserved a dedicated rework and a new release — under my own name this time around. This song and its performance reflects where I am at this moment in time, as well as how far I’ve come since the period that the song was penned."

On 'Endless Bridge', Martin Saint is accompanied by Julie Abel on piano, Frank Bones on drums, and Jack Vignavong on bass. Recorded and co-produced by Frank Bones and Martin Saint at Indica Studio 24, Studio Pacifique and Martini Lounge, with recording assistance from Olivier René de Cotret, the single was mixed by Frank Bones with cover photography and design by Ursa Minor.

Martin Saint has also published "Under The Full Angry Moon", a quality collection of song lyrics spanning a few years, along with a number of short poems and his own drawings to illustrate specific songs. The book comes with QR codes that lead to the respective recordings. Just as his music combines some of the dark elements of 80s UK post-punk with a touch of psychedelia, this book also blends cinematic imagery with dramatic delivery.

Out October 6th, "Endless Bridge" is available everywhere online, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. Work is already underway towards Martin's next full-length album in 2027.

NYC art-rockers ECCE SHNAK announce East Coast tour, previewing new album. 'Anna O' single is out now

October 5, 2026

NYC art-rockers Ecce Shnak are pleased to announce their upcoming nine-date East Coast tour, running November 11 through November 20, marking a significant new step toward the release of their forthcoming full-length, “Dandy Variances”, due in early 2027 via Records, Man Records.

Formed in 2011, Ecce Shnak (pronounced “Eh-kay sh-knock”) is made up of David Roush (composer, bassist and baritone vocalist), Bella Komodromos (vocals), Chris Krasnow (guitar), Gannon Ferrell (guitar), and Henry Buchanan-Vaughn(drums). Known for their mind-blowing live shows, Ecce Shnak was forged in New York’s vibrant experimental music community, having developed a distinctive collision of art-rock ambition, grunge weight, theatrical songwriting, and experimental instincts.

This is the first string of live dates for Ecce Shnak since they hit the West and East Coast, as well as Great Britain, with UK music legends EMF, a relationship that also led to contributing guest vocals on EMF's stellar single 'LGBTQ+ Lover'.

Now Ecce Shnak takes their explosive performances through Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Quebec, Ontario, New York, New York and Maryland. As they move toward a full-length, audiences can hear some new material alongside songs from the band’s catalog, including 2025's 'Shadows Grow Fangs' EP, mixed by Nicholas Vernhes (Animal Collective, Deerhunter, Wild Nothing, War on Drugs) and mastered by Grammy award-winning engineer Joe LaPorta (David Bowie, The Weeknd, Foo Fighters, Vampire Weekend).

Show-goers will catch an early glimpse of "Dandy Variances", which pushes the band’s established sound into a broader and more ambitious territory, including the singles 'Vincent', 'Eddie, Legalistic Homeslice' and their latest -- 'Anna O'. Combining art-rock swagger, grunge muscle and a distinctly theatrical sense of scale, this was based on a poem penned by Roush's mother Robin Kneubuhl.

Recorded and mixed by Roush and Jeff Lucci, this was mixed with Grammy Award-winning producer Mario McNulty (David Bowie, Prince, Nine Inch Nails) and mastered by multi-platinum engineer Kris Crummett (Sum 41, Sleeping With Sirens). The music video, directed by LA film producer DJay Brawner, sees Bella Komodromos play Anna, who is deeply distressed and entrapped in an asylum. Through an act of heroic resistance to the abuse, she finally sets herself free.

'Anna O' is out now, available from digital music platforms, including Bandcamp. Tickets for the tour are already available for sale now.

NOVEMBER 2026 TOUR
Wed, Nov 11 - Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom (with Lee Emi & Cal in Red)
Thu, Nov 12 - Philadelphia, PA @ Nikki Lopez (with Coral Moons)
Fri, Nov 13 - New Paltz, NY @ Scry Chappelle
Sat, Nov 14 - Boston, MA @ O'Brien's Pub (with Jordan Dean)
Sun, Nov 15 - Montreal, QC @ L'Esco
Tue, Nov 17 - Toronto, ON @ Dance Cave
Wed, Nov 18 - Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place
Thu, Nov 19 - Brooklyn, NY @ Main Drag (with Dream Prescription, PUSH! & The After Hours)
Fri, Nov 20 - Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery (with Catie Turner & Kiss Bang)

'ANNA O' CREDITS
Music by David Roush
Words by Robin Kneubuhl

Recorded and produced by Jeff Lucci
Mixed by Mario McNulty
Mastered by Kris Crummett
DJay Brawner - Video Director & Senior Executive Producer
Max Rose - Executive Producer
Co-produced by David Roush, Beth Narducci & Brooks Jones
Single released by Records, Man Records
Publicity by Shauna McLarnon for Shameless Promotion PR
Ecce Shnak photos by Rose Callahan. Stylist: Fay Leshner

Manchester's CAULBEARERS announce new album, sharing the lead track 'Brothers At The Wheel'

September 29, 2026

Manchester-based outfit Caulbearers return with ‘Brothers At The Wheel’, an urgent and uncompromising single that confronts the structures of power governing modern life, while ultimately offering solidarity and collective action as an alternative to despair. It's is a rich and timely preview of their forthcoming album 'Come Back Home', out on October 30th via Single Cell Recordings..

A collective of musicians formed in 2007 and led by Damien Mahoney, Caulbearers are known for blending diverse musical styles, including soul, funk, hip-hop, dub, nu jazz, folk and post-punk influences. With contributors hailing from around the UK and Europe, their DIY ethic has coursed through every element of their releases, from design, production, videos and gigs to the recording process itself.

Mixed by Seadna McPhail (Badly Drawn Boy, Jah Wobble, Everything Everything, I Am Kloot, Happy Mondays) and mastered by Jim Spencer (New Order, Johnny Marr, Charlatans, Factory Floor) at Eve Mastering, this song was recorded by Mahoney and Chris Hamilton at Toast Recordings and Seadna McPhail at Airtight Studio..

'Brothers At The Wheel' traces a journey of political awakening - from a naive plea for those in power to change course before disaster hits, to disillusionment at the resulting hollow words and empty promises that leave the status quo intact.

“If we truly consider humanity as a brotherhood and sisterhood of equals, it seems the ultimate betrayal of our family to exploit, to oppress and to victimise others whilst creating structures that concentrate wealth in the hands of an ever-smaller, unaccountable minority,” explains Damien Mahoney.

“The 'wheel' in the title is that system -- a machine built to keep turning for profit and power, regardless of the cost to people, communities, or the planet.”

The song's resolution isn't despair but solidarity: a call for unity at the grassroots level, recognising that the same struggle echoes in other streets, other words, other languages. In resisting the forces intent on dividing us, the lyrics point to real power within the collective -- like a seed that can grow into something more balanced, harmonious, and connected.

The song's urgency isn't just lyrical -- it's built into the music itself. 'Brothers At The Wheel' comes straight out of the traps with an unrelenting groove: strings, bass, and keys locked into a single insistent pattern, guitar answering in the gaps, percussion driving it forward, while the vocal melody cuts its own path in short, sharp phrases that swap between landing on and off the beat.

Past the tempo shift, the song opens into a second movement: a soaring, wordless lament from ethereal folk artist Ruth Blake — beautiful and mournful, yet defiant, a celebration of the human spirit. Underneath, the arrangement builds in waves — guitars layering, cello and violin rising, keys, bass and drums gathering weight — swelling to a crescendo before dissolving.

'Brothers At The Wheel' is available everywhere digitally from September 29th, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, the latter version also including a bonus radio edit, capturing the awakening in full — appeal, disillusionment, and the turn toward unity — within a tighter arc. On October 10, Caulbearers' album release show will take place at The Carlton Club in Manchester, joined by Ruth Blake and number of special guests, and support from John Haycock.

CREDITS

Lyrics & Music written by Damien Mahoney

Damien Mahoney — vocals
Ruth Blake - vocals
Stefan Skrimshire - cello
Will Lenton - keys
Anton Hunter - guitars
Grenville Harrop - drums
Dan Mitchell - bass
Gavin Mullan - percussion
Olivia Moore - violin
Produced & Edited by Damien Mahoney
Mixed by Seadna McPhail at Airtight Studios
Recorded by Chris Hamilton at Toast, Damien Mahoney at Padded Cell & Seadna McPhail at Airtight
Mastered by Jim Spencer at Eve Mastering
Cover design & artwork by Latent Variables
© 2026 Single Cell Recordings

Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

BEAUTY IN CHAOS unveils fifth album ‘Quiet Place’, marking milestone anniversary of their debut

September 28, 2026

Iconic alt-rock / post-punk supergroup Beauty In Chaos returns to where it all began with ‘Quiet Place', - the band’s fifth studio album, arriving exactly eight years after releasing their debut record ‘Finding Beauty In Chaos’. More than an anniversary, the timing marks a remarkable full-circle moment for the LA-based project, bringing together the spirit of its beginnings with eight years of musical exploration, unlikely collaborations, and an ever-expanding family of artists.

Produced by Grammy-nominated producer Michael Rozon (Ministry, Jarboe, Wayne Hussey, The Melvins), ‘Quiet Place’ is a ten-track collection showcasing the latest from Beauty In Chaos. Released September 28th via LA-based 33.3 Music Collective, the album brings together familiar voices and new collaborators while continuing the project's distinctive blend of dark rock, atmospheric textures, powerful guitars, and richly layered songwriting.

The lead single 'Home' featuring Ashton Nyte of famed South African goth rockers The Awakening also marked eight years since BIC's first single 'Storm'. As vocalist and co-writer of that debut offering, this is a fitting reunion for a song about connection and finally finding where you belong. The 'Home' video was filmed by Nyte and longtime BIC collaborator Vicente Cordero (Industrialism Films). For the album release, the focus / highlight track is 'You Made Me A Weapon ft. Julian Shah-Tayler'.

BIC curator Michael Ciravolo describes 'Quiet Place' as “quite possibly our most diverse album, with a collection of songs that just work together”. This double vinyl release also includes many other returning BIC alumni, including Cinthya Hussey(with a bit of help from her Mission main-man husband Wayne Hussey), Whitney Tai, Julian Shah-Tayler, Betsy Martin, Leo Luganskiy, and Kommunity FK’s Patrik Mata.

Two new voices join the BIC family on this album - Nick Schultz, formerly with The Faces Of Sarah, and Strangelove’s Brent Meyer. The Deluxe CD also includes three cover song renditions, with Michael Ciravolo himself contributing vocals.

“Since I had several additional new singers in mind, Michael Rozan and I just kept writing songs, but the idea of releasing this album on the same date as our debut was important to me… so I had to make the call to stop at these ten tracks," says Michael Ciravolo.

"I am very aware that ten songs is indeed a ‘big’ listen in today’s chaotic world, but I believe in my heart that our audience is more discerning and open to a true deep-dive listen.”

Beauty In Chaos has come a long way since LA-based guitarist Michael Ciravolo(formerly of Human Drama and Gene Loves Jezebel and current President of Schecter Guitars) launched this project in 2018. Over the years, BIC has involved members of The Mission, The Cure, Ministry, Cheap Trick, The Offspring, Gene Loves Jezebel, Marilyn Manson, Human Drama, Bauhaus, Nine Inch Nails, Van Halen, A Flock of Seagulls and dUg Pinnick, ICE-T, Rolan Bolan and Zakk Wylde, among other luminaries.

‘Quiet Place’ is available in a 100-copy Limited Edition package, which includes a beautiful 180g double vinyl pressed on Ocean Blue Glitter. Each of the 100 copies are hand-numbered and include an eight-page lyric booklet, a Special CD, and a set of three BIC guitar picks. As with all BIC albums, the full digital version is included and sent for immediate download!

A ‘Goth Black’ double vinyl, a Deluxe 13 song CD, and a digital version are also available at the BIC Store. While all of the artists that are part of the growing BIC Family believe in enjoying music in a physical format, ‘Quiet Place’ can also be heard on all streaming platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp.

CREDITS
Curated by Michael Ciravolo
Recorded, Mixed & Produced by Michael Rozon at SAINTinLA Studio
Executive Producer: Tim Perry (33.3 Music Collective)
Mastered by Dale Becker
Cover paintings by Maren Platzhoff
All songs copyright 2026 Beauty In Chaos Music (ASCAP)
'Home' Video filmed by Vicente Cordero & Ashton Nyte
Directed & Edited by Ashton Nyte
Featuring Ashton Nyte (vocals), Michael Ciravolo (guitar) & Tish Ciravolo (bass)
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

Electronic trailblazers DELERIUM & iconic avant-garde singer DIAMANDA GALÁS present “Into The Light“

September 25, 2026

Legendary Canadian electronic duo Delerium presents "Into The Light", a stunning collaboration with iconic American avant-garde singer and performer Diamanda Galás, released via Metropolis Records. An exquisite work of downtempo electronica, this track reveals itself as an opus of shadowy ethereal brilliance.

Delerium is a Canadian electronic music group founded in 1987 by the globally renowned duo of Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber. Over the course of four decades, their music has encompassed a diverse range of styles that include dark instrumental soundscapes, ambient trance and electronic pop music.

"Into The Light" is the first offering from “Exaudire" -- Delerium's 16th album to date -- out in January 2027. It embodies portions of “Deliver Me From Mine Enemies: IV. Ε Ξελόυ Mε [Deliver Me]“, which was written and performed by Diamanda Galás and included on her 1986 album “The Divine Punishment". Produced by Leeb and Fulber, this was mixed and mastered by Greg Reely.

"Delerium has always been inspired by ancient spiritual callings through the ages. Having followed and listened to Diamanda Galás music and voice, I felt there was a certain connection. I have always wanted to work with her on a collaboration and now was the right time. 'Into The Light' is a perfect example of how Diamanda channels pain into beauty, and her inner demons are exorcised into art," says Bill Leeb.

Before forming Delerium, Leeb and Fulber had made a name for themselves with the highly influential electronic-industrial group Front Line Assembly (Leeb was also an early member of Skinny Puppy). Originally intended as a side project for exploring dark ambient instrumental compositions, Delerium ultimately took on a long and beautiful life of its own.

Since their 1994 album 'Semantic Spaces', Delerium has received two Juno awards and grown to massive fame through collaborations, involving vocals by Leigh Nash (Sixpence None the Richer), Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance), Kirsty Hawkshaw (Opus III), Emily Haines (Metric), Jacqui Hunt (Single Gun Theory), Matthew Sweet and Kristy Thirsk (Rose Chronicles).

Worldwide chart success came in 2000 with the anthem "Silence (featuring Sarah McLachlan)", reaching #1 in numerous countries. Its remixes are also hailed among the greatest trance songs of all time (with the Tiësto remix voted the 12th-greatest dance track of all time by Mixmag readers).

With Front Line Assembly already part of the Metropolis Records roster, Delerium signed to the label for the release of the albums "Mythologie" (2016) and "Signs" (2023). Bill Leeb also released his widely acclaimed debut solo album "Model Kollapse" via Metropolis in 2024.

Delerium has also seen sync licensing placements with songs appearing in films such as "Brokedown Palace" and "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider". “Silence" was also recently heard in the hit BBC drama "Industry".

“Into The Light“ is out now across fine digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. Already available for pre-order, 'Exaudire' will be released digitally, on CD and as a double album on Oxblood vinyl on January 22nd, 2027.

CREDITS
"Into The Light" written by Bill Leeb, Rhys Fulber and Diamanda Galás
"Into The Light" embodies portions of “Deliver Me From Mine Enemies: IV. Ε Ξελόυ Mε [Deliver Me]”, owned, written and performed by Diamanda Galás (used by permission).
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Greg Reely
Produced by Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber
Cover artwork by Dave McKean
Diamanda Galás cover photograph by Kristofer Buckle
Released by Metropolis Records

Keep up with Delerium
Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music | Press contact

Keep up with Diamanda Galás
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Keep up with Metropolis Records
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Press contact - Shauna McLarnon at Shameless Promotion PR - Email
UK Press contact - Gary Levermore at Red Sand PR - Email

New Jersey's QUIZ SHOW honors old friends & forges new paths on ‘XONO’ EP (Out September 28th)

September 24, 2026

New Jersey-based indie rock trio Quiz Show present their new 'XONO' EP, released via New Jersey's Magic Door Record Label. This three-song collectioncaptures the band at a point of transition, blending noisy, high-energy power-trio rock with a growing acoustic side in their performance.

Quiz Show is made up of Chris Matthews, a founding member of of legendary DC hardcore band Shudder To Think, and bassist Jesse Krakow, together with drummer Joe Billy III, who replaced the original drummer Kevin March (Guided By Voices, The Dambuilders, Shudder To Think).

You could say Quiz Show is a continuation of unfinished business. After a quarter-century break, Chris Matthews picked-up his guitar and again began to write songs, triggered by a chance meeting with his former Shudder To Think bandmate Kevin March. Now both living in Montclair, Kevin and Chris ended up forming Quiz Show with Frank Gibbons on bass.

This EP reflects Quiz Show’s recent evolution, honoring longtime influences and collaborators while pointing toward the band’s next chapter. Once again, Quiz Show worked with award-winning producer Ray Ketchem (Guided By Voices, Luna, Elk City, Gramercy Arms, The Dambuilders), who produced, recorded, mixed and mastered thie EP at Magic Door Recording Studio in Montclair, NJ.

The title track 'XONO' is about the high hopes of friendship and love, and the difficulties that lie therein, exploring the painful gap between idealized romantic aspirations and the harsh truth that a promising bond is ultimately doomed to fail. Chris Matthews shares, "I really love 'XONO' for being a tight, quick, and complex song. There is some great simplicity and pleasant dissonance in the music. That it tells a story about difficult relationships is something I am proud to have found a way to spell out".

The second track, 'Haircut Sphinx', is a cover of a Guided By Voices song, written by Robert Pollard and recorded for their 'Mirrored Aztec' LP from 2020. .

"We were inspired to record the song to honor the genius of Pollard and his relentlessly amazing songwriting in Guided by Voices, and also to pay homage to our good friend Kevin March, GBV’s drummer on this song and many others," says Chris Matthews.

"We slowed the tempo of the song and added an organ (played by Jesse) to capture a more sludgy feel. We also changed the ending to bring out what seemed to us a really cool musical change with a great vocal line that we thought was worth repeating."

The EP closes with an acoustic version of 'Pom Pom Boy', a first generation Quiz Show song. Chris Matthews explains, "Originally released on our 'Quiz Show' album, we recorded this version to give this song a new life in a different costume." Written by Kevin March and Chris Matthews in Chris’ basement years ago, it captures the spirit of what these two created when they sat down just to play and see what happens. This track highlights the multi-talents of Joe Billy III, whose killer drumming was set aside to showcase his acoustic guitar skills.

Quiz Show makes music still squarely within the punk and alternative rock spectrum with elements of Hüsker Dü, Pixies, Ramones, Fugazi, Sonic Youth, and Girls Against Boys. Blending the melodic hooks and songcraft of alternative pop with the raw energy and noise of punk, their layered guitars, heavy drums, and bass create a dense, dynamic sound that rewards repeated listens.

Their 2023's debut 'Quiz Show' album is an electrifying collection full of protest, friendship and frustration. Their 'Flotsam' EP, released in 2024 and engineered by Ketchem and Brian Robbins (Blondie, Bring Me The Horizon, Papa Roach), explores the shattered, lost stories of people’s lives. Both releases received widespread critical acclaim.

"Our new 'XONO' EP captures the life of Quiz Show over the last year. After a run of EPs as a power trio, schedules and real life made time for the band tight. Nevertheless, we found a way to write, practice, and record 'XONO' and 'Haircut Sphinx'. These songs give the best sense of where we have been trying to go with the band," explains Chris Matthews.

"Joe and Chris are now playing as a duo and will be including an acoustic break in their live sets. The new recording of 'Pom Pom' shows how this will look"

As of September 28, the 'XONO' EP is out everywhere, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. Quiz Show perform October 2 at Crossroads in Garwood, NJ, along with The Van Pelt.