Phonseca 
Staring At The Sea 
Old Bad Habits 
 
A teaser from the sophomore album by Phonseca, a collaboration between Bristol’s Matthew O'Connor on keyboards and the Swedish songstress Kristina Sheppard, Staring At The Sea takes synthpop to serious levels. It’s an extraordinary time, with their debut already gaining high profile attention for its inventive ambient electronic take on songwriting. Written about seeking love and not holding back, a musical serenade awaits within the enchanting mix of 80s style drum loops, synthesiser, and voice. A blank canvas for the imagination, an open sea before us takes all the time it needs to hypnotise and enchant us with its open-ended mystery. A song with this title surely takes inspiration from this intellectual escape from the self. Let’s listen and find out.  
 
Bouncing calmness manifests through tone and clarity as the keyboard enters with digital melody. As the lyrics begin, drumming kicks in with light touches and a hi-hat snare driven tempo. A silky vocal begins to drizzle the music with lines of poetic story. A laid-back beauty simmers on the low heat as bass rises with wholesome and elastic range. The song begins to speak, Swedish language spoken word haunts the music as piano echoes through the dream. Relaxing and enriched with a sense of folk charm, the synthpop frame takes a lead all of its own with cinematic and karaoke suited delivery.   

​Find music by Phonseca on Bandcamp

​You can follow Phonseca on Facebook

Essential knowledge: ​The Art and Sound of the Bristol Underground
​

Authority Zero 

Long Way To Go 

Arizona 

 

An iconic punk band with 30 years of massive sound behind you, Authority Zero showcase Long Way To Go.  That’s the single from their celebration EP, 30 Years: Speaking to the Youth which is out at the beginning of November. When you’re young, a long game plan is something that keeps you motivated during the many slopes we have to climb, and with a figurehead like a well-established band to look to, inspiration runs abound. Lead singer Jason DeVore talks about how each band member has been put through the grinder and left out to dry among the detritus of society, and it’s only the passion to stand up and keep going that makes the difference. Punk is all about that passion, and whether you’re wearing Prada or Kappa, leather or denim, whether your hair is green, pink, black, or blond, the punk attitude that runs through the music is something we can all use when needed.  

 

A crack of snare drives home the music as an uplifting guitar riff hits us with melodic phrasing. A rhythmic pulse manifests through the chords as the vocal begins to add colour and vibe to the surge of tuneful guitar. Catchy and easy to sing with, the verse launches into the chorus as the title of the song makes its mark. We can join in immediately, at least with that line, and as the great sounding riffs keep coming, learning the rest of it won’t take a long time. Upbeat and filled with a mature sense of forward-facing positivity, taking the high road sometimes means taking the overhang and that’s just fine. A fantastic groove with memorable melodies gives the Long Way To Go an urgency we can’t ignore.   

You can find out more on theAuthority Zero Linktree

You can follow Authority Zero on Facebook

Instagram

andX

Plus, you can make anything punk if you wear it right, try some vintage fashion and bag 10% off with WELCOME if you're new. 
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Tour Dates:


Nov. 1, 2024 Tucson, AZ The Rock
Nov. 2, 2024 Lake Las Vegas, NV Viva Ska Las Vegas 
Nov. 3, 2024 San Diego, CA The Holding Company
Nov. 5, 2024 Fresno, CA Strummer's
Nov. 6, 2024 Bakersfield, CA Temblor Brewing Company
Nov. 7, 2024 Sacramento, CA Goldfield Trading Post 
Nov. 8, 2024 Garden Grove, CA GARDEN AMP
Nov. 9, 2024 Buellton, CA Buellton Fall Festival
Nov. 10, 2024 Palmdale, CA Transplants Brewing Company
Nov. 12, 2024 Petaluma, CA Mystic Theatre
Nov. 13, 2024 Sparks, NV The Ranch House
Nov. 14, 2024 Santa Cruz, CA The Catalyst
Nov. 15, 2024 Berkeley, CA Cornerstone Craft Beer & Live Music
Nov. 16, 2024 Atascadero, CA Atascadero Fall Festival
Nov. 17, 2024 Ventura, CA Ventura Music Hall

Texas Tour
Dec. 6 Amarillo, TX Goldenlight Cantina
Dec. 7 Lubbock, TX Red Zone
Dec. 8 Dallas, TX Three Links
Dec. 10 Houston, TX Scout Bar
Dec.  11 Corpus Christi, TX House of Rock
Dec. 12 San Antonio, TX Paper Tiger
Dec. 13 Austin, TX Kick Butt Cafe
Dec. 14 El Paso, TX Club 101

Benzii  
Riding It 
Berlin 
 
Examining the spiral and its symbolism, the art of growth, breaking boundaries, and following preset guidance comes to the forefront with the latest release from Benzii. The Berlin blonde with a magical touch for music sets the scene with the bending of Pi and Sine to reach ever wider scopes with Spirallore. From the inception of concept with the first experience to the time you seek something new, the evolution of each process involves personal and intellectual growth. Using the foundations of stamping electronic goodness, the producer offers a musical collage of sound and rhythm that represents the symbol and the journey. Somewhere in the middle of the adventure that is Spirallore, we can find the experimental number Riding It. 
 
Synth tones rise with ominous positivity. The harmonies rumble as the rhythm breaks into a crash of mixed beats and breaks that sit back-to-back. A meaning and flow reach out from the mix as the vocal begins. Angelic and choral, the voice sits atop mountains of craggy rhythms and lush, windswept tall blades of grass. Mysterious effects and strange atmospheres linger as the patterns glitch ever so slightly among the passages of beauty, pulse, and dream inspiring music.  
 
You can follow Benzii on Instagram​

and Facebook

Plus, something to read: Coming To Berlin: Global journeys into an electronic music & club culture capital ​

Dead Chic 
Fortune 
Serenades And Damnation 
 
It’s only a couple of weeks until we can all listen to Serenades and Damnation, the debut album from the creative wonder-force that is Dead Chic. 4 hard-working and supertalented individuals bring their collective focus to well-made, highly listenable songs and videos. Fortune is the latest track to be released by itself, streaming in the riptide wake of radio favourites such as Paris, Too Far Gone, and You Got It. With features spanning from Earmilk to Louder Than War, it’s an honour and a pleasure to be offered another feature before the Serenades and Damnation we can all expect this November. 
 
A vibrant drum score tears up the stave as Fortune unveils like the fan on the cover. Harmonic vocals sing in tribal folk tones before the gruff voice of Andy Balcon takes control. A bass throbs with a retro-electro vibe as the 70s style mesmerism continues behind the surging blues and distortion.  Twinkling tones and loose string bends decorate the funky rock n roll framework as colourful and evocative motifs push the daydream into beautiful shapes.  
 
You can find all the info on the Dead Chic linktree

Follow Dead Chic on Instagram

and Facebook

Vision Video 
Dead Gods 
Georgia USA 
 
From Athens, Georgia, the post-punk Vision Video hit us with their musical dig towards dogmatic politics. No folk tales and religious stories can justify land theft, murder, terror campaigns, dehumanisation, and execution without trial on mass, Dead Gods makes it clear that the giver of life certainly doesn’t want us to take it away. Taken from their third album Modern Horror, Dead Gods kicks up the fuss in meaningful and musical ways. Formed in 2020 by Dusty Gannon on vocals and synths and Emily Fredock on vocals and guitar, they’re due to fly over to Europe next month to embark on their exciting new tour.  
 
A grunge feel takes control as the drumming and guitar crash in with a semi-discordant intro. The pulse continues as the music simmers with harmonies and atmosphere. Vocals begin, rhythmic and gothic, the music bubbles and curdles around the river of words. Nothing stands between the lyrics and the truth, hard images hit us square on as the rhythm pushes us through the swathes of emotion. A chorus of effects decorate the guitar as the ghostly synths swirl and gallop along the lines of rhythm left in the wake of powerful drumming.  
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You can find out more on the Vision Video website

Get music by Vision Video on Bandcamp

Follow Vision Video on Facebook

Instagram

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and TikTok

TOUR DATES

Oct 25   Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club (Southern Gothic Festival)
Nov 25  Berlin, Germany - Urban Spree
Nov 26  Hamburg, Germany - Hafenklang
Nov 28  Bochum, Germany - Die Trompete
Nov 29  Bielefeld, Germany - Movie (with the Cassandra Complex & SJÖBLOM)
Nov 30  Rotterdam, Netherlands - Soundville (with Lifeless Past)
Dec 1  Brighton, UK - The Hope & Ruin  *
Dec 2  Nottingham, UK - Bodega Social
Dec 3  Liverpool, UK - Quarry  *
Dec 4  Kings Heath, UK - Hare & Hounds  *
Dec 6  Bristol, UK - Marble Factory  ^^
Dec 7  London, UK - O2 Shepherds Bush Empire  **
Dec 9  Dublin, Ireland - Opium  *
Dec 10  Belfast, UK - Limelight Complex  *
Dec 12  Glasgow, UK - The Garage  ^^
Dec 13  Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK - Riverside 1  ^^
Dec 14  Manchester, UK - Albert Hall  **

^   with The Nightmares
*    with Mark Burgess (The Chameleons)
^^  with The Chameleons
**   with The Chameleons and The Membranes

The Awakening 

Mirror Midnight 

Intervention Arts 

 

Now living the dream in the USA, South Africa darkwave group The Awakening showcase the release of their 12th album with a new music video. Mirror Midnight sets the tone for their better-late-than-never self-titled album, due on the 18th. Revolving around the creative flow of the multi-talented Ashton Nyte, the composer sometimes referred to as Johannesburg's David Bowie, The Awakening is an art music project that takes inspiration from the goth and post-punk music scene. As the music goes out across the world, The Awakening are already on the road with their European tour. Following on from the release of Nyte’s second book and an award-winning solo album, the sound that started it all is still getting all the attention and drawing us close to the fire in the dark. 

Guitar slides and feedback settle into a deep and heady rhythm. The bass dives in with resonance and tone as the vocal launches with depth and a wholesome timbre. A mysterious flow of harmony meanders in spiralling drifts of sound as the verse and chorus pattern reveals passion and intrigue. Haunting images and sudden plunges of emotional clarity bring drama and fantasy to the catchy and moody composition. A chill in the air and a homage to the work of Sisters Of Mercy, Bauhaus, and Joy Division, the gothic serenade to mystery and shade leaves us wanting the album today.  

You can find out more on the The Awakening website

Follow The Awakening on Facebook

and Instagram

And, something to read: ​The Gothic: 250 Years of Success: Your Guide to Gothic Literature and Culture 
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