NEW TRACK: Vivienne Cure – ‘Barricade’

A commanding, heavy lament to resisting self-sabotage, Vivienne Cure has shared her latest single ‘Barricade’. Full of ominous riffs, thundering beats and her potent vocals, the London-based musician and visual artist traces over feelings of rage and regret on her new offering.

Previously supported by the likes of Kerrang! and CLASH, Vivienne Cure finds refuge in the realms of doom, metal and industrial music, as well as alternative Gothic art spheres. She uses her sound to exorcise personal demons, break free from negative thought patterns and ultimately to connect with others.

“My collection of musical works lay at the centre of a vortex of swirling fragments of deeply personal memories, driven by my inner war and reaction to society’s underlying sadness,” she explains. These forces propel Cure into action, as she explores the macabre and the meaningful in both her aesthetic and her sound.

New single ‘Barricade’ flows in this dark vein. Cure’s plaintive cries are imbued with a sense of power and self autonomy. Grinding riffs and brooding beats swirl around her, as she vehemently grasps for control amongst the chaos. ‘Barricade’ is accompanied by a new set of visuals, which show Cure and her bandmates immersing themselves in their performance.

Vivienne Cure will be playing a London headline show at The Black Heart in Camden on Wednesday 22nd November. Support comes from Jo-Jo And The Teeth and industrial rock four piece DROWND. Tickets are available here.

Watch the video for ‘Barricade’ below.

Follow Vivienne Cure on Spotify, Facebook & Instagram

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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NEW TRACK: Chelsea Wolfe – ‘Whispers In The Echo Chamber’

A potent blend of shadowy industrial sounds and her trademark captivating vocals, Chelsea Wolfe has shared her latest single ‘Whispers In The Echo Chamber’. Taken from her newly announced seventh album, She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She, which is set for release via Loma Vista on 9th February 2024, the track is a heavy rumination on trusting your inner voice and following your own intuition.

Exploring the cyclical nature of healing, Wolfe’s new album is described as “a rebirth”, breaking the physical and emotional chains that prohibit this cathartic process. “It’s a record about the past self reaching out to the present self reaching out to the future self to summon change, growth, and guidance,” she explains in more detail. “It’s a story of freeing yourself from situations and patterns that are holding you back in order to become self-empowered. It’s an invitation to step into your authenticity.”

Written alongside her longtime collaborators multi-instrumentalist Ben Chisholm, drummer Jess Gowrie and guitarist Bryan Tulao, Wolfe has crafted a dynamic, genre-blending manifesto of self-autonomy across ten tracks, with latest single ‘Whispers in the Echo Chamber’ spotlighting this in all its glory. Finding strength and power in the calmness of a whisper, as ominous synths and metallic riffs swirl around her, Wolfe is “bathing in the blood” of who she used to be – emerging cleansed and cutting as ever.

The track is accompanied by a stunning monochrome video, directed by Geoge Gallardo Kattah and filmed in Colombia. Wolfe explains the concept behind the visuals: “This video feels like a love story between myself and my sleep paralysis entity, who, for the sake of this video, represents a calm inner voice cutting through mental chatter and anxiety to help guide me towards a more authentic path. From the inward to the outward, this entity shows me the expansiveness of new possibilities, if only I’ll take the first difficult steps.”

Chelsea Wolfe has also announced a London headline show at Heaven on Sunday 21st April 2024. Tickets are on sale now.

Watch the video for ‘Whispers In The Echo Chamber’ below.

Pre-order Chelsea Wolfe’s new album here

Follow Chelsea Wolfe on bandcamp, Spotify, Instagram, Facebook & Tik Tok

Photo credit: Ebru Yildiz

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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NEW TRACK: Dermabrasion – ‘Halberdier’

An ominous cacophony of industrial-tinged post punk, Toronto-based duo Dermabrasion have shared their latest single ‘Halberdier’. Taken from their upcoming debut album, Pain Behaviour, which is set for release on 26th January 2024 via Hand Drawn Dracula, the track is a heavy, brooding gothic anthem that rumbles with discontent.

Formed of Adam Bernhardt and Kat McGouran, Dermabrasion bonded over a shared fascination with punk music, the occult and the corporeal form. They released their debut EP, Luminate, back in 2021, but now the pair are gearing up to share their first full length record. Inspired by Roman Catholicism, LaVeyan Satanism, genre fiction and how these elements affect their outlook on their sense of power, shame and duty; Dermabrasion’s Pain Behaviour is a formidable concoction of post-punk, industrial and metal influences, culminating in a sound they’ve coined as “death rock and roll.”

Produced by Josh Korody (Fucked Up, Nailbiter, Breeze, Beliefs, Vallens), Pain Behaviour looks set to be a compelling listen, with first single ‘Halberdier’ offering a potent introduction to the record. Borrowing its title from a guard who wielded an ancient form of weaponry (the halberd), through their heavy hooks and gloomy vocals, Dermabrasion command the authoritative energy of a Halberdier, immersing their listeners in a shadowy, abrasive ether of noise.

The track is accompanied by a video, formed of a series of clips captured by members of the crowd at a Dermabrasion show in Toronto’s east end during the summer. It captures the gritty, grimy energy of the underground scene the band have cut their teeth playing live on over the years.

Listen to ‘Halberdier’ below.

Pre-order Dermabrasion’s debut album Pain Behaviour here

Follow Dermabrasion on bandcamp, Spotify & Instagram

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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ALBUM: Hot Milk – ‘A Call To The Void’

The fragility of existence is nowhere more apparent than “l’appel du vide” – A Call To The Void – the brain’s impulse to throw yourself into the darkness. For Hot Milk, particularly co-vocalist/guitarist Han Mee, the pressure to deliver their debut record left them feeling incredibly lost. From extended plays Are you Feeling Alive? (2019) to I Just Wanna Know What Happens When I’m Dead (2021), to The King and Queen of Gasoline (2022), the Mancunians could always rely on their do-it-yourself ethos and work ethic, but now… nothing. Just anxiety, doubt, desperation and overwhelming sadness…

Fuck it! Hot Milk just needed to be their authentic and unapologetic selves – even in their darkest headspace – and so they embraced the void. Do or Die! “Am I the darkness?” Mee sings during the synth-heavy introduction to their debut; eleven tracks written from the heart, welcoming you to their ‘Horror Show’. From the moment their industrial lead single rumbles obnoxious feedback (“Am I a human earthquake?”), to its infectious “fuck you” chorus, the tone has been set for the rest of the record; anthemic mosh-inducing catharsis.

Flirting with synth-pop, ‘Bloodstream’ flows with emotion; an ode to unhealthy adoration, injected with the dynamic dual storytelling of Mee and co-vocalist/guitarist Jim Shaw: “Now you’re living in my bloodstream!” Ladies and gentlemen, ‘Party On My Deathbed’ is cold-blooded, pre-meditated murder on the dancefloor; an electric fusion of dirty guitar riffs, and even dirtier screams. And none of Hot Milk’s trademark wit is lost on ‘Alice Cooper’s Pool House’, featuring the shock rock legend himself!

Following the overwhelming catchiness of ‘Zoned Out’, the duo stage-dive headfirst into the abyss with thunderous basslines and theatrical anger on ‘Over Your Dead Body’: “Unholy, you’re problematic / All this shit, so operatic / I know, this might be overdramatic / But I think that I’ve had it / So it’s time to go manic!” ‘Migraine’ is another standout track, exploring various soundscapes, and showcasing Hot Milk’s genre-defying sound as it ebbs and flows like a Bring Me the Horizon headache.

If any track defines A Call to the Void, it’s ‘Breathing Underwater’; an emotional heart breaker embodying Mee’s darkness. “We needed to write this song as a cry to the outside world”; an introspection of the suffocating anxiety and depression below the surface. Julian Comeau of Loveless introduces a new voice to the dynamic duo for ‘Amphetamine’, whilst crushing closer, ‘Forget Me Not’ – the last song written for the record – explores life’s fragility through synth-driven melodies: “So into the void I go / I surrender to all my beliefs / Where you go I can’t follow / Got to let you rest in peace.”

By staying unapologetically true to themselves, thriving in the musical chaos they have created, Hot Milk have delivered a debut that excels in abnormality. Genre is a lie. This is not a pop-punk/alt- pop/emo record. It’s a fucking Hot Milk record!

Ken Wynne
@Ken_Wynne

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