Prey Drive are hailing from Norwich, UK and they recently signed for the excellent label Krod Records. “Tabula Rasa” is their brand new e.p. and I am happy I reviewed it for this zine.
The e.p. contains 4 songs filled with emotion, melody, beauty, sadness and hope. I love the feelings it intermingles in me while listening to the songs. “Brand new skin” made me hope for the new and better me, while I shed my current skin and walk to the horizon to the better future. Sad, but song full of hope. “More than magic” is a song for which the guys made a video you can watch below and it is more upbeat punky song with some nice guitar hooks, backing vocal harmonies and excellent song structure. The title track made me smile and made me sad at the same time as I caught myself daydreaming and whispering some distant poem from the corners of my brain. Mighty and emotional, this song remains in memory long afterwards listening. The last one “Like Animals” has a sad and a bit weird piano start and later evolves into melodic pop emo punk masterpiece of forlorn desire, wanting, happiness which also brings sadness to the likes of us, whose philosophy some men just can´t understand. Awesome e.p.
Following last year’s acclaimed EP Always Hell, dark post-punk trio FOTOCRIME have announced the details for their debut full-length album, Principle Of Pain. FOTOCRIME is the creation of singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist R (aka Ryan Patterson, longtime tentpole of the Louisville music scene). Set for a May 18 release on Golden Antenna Records (USA release on Patterson’s own Auxiliary Records), Principle Of Pain boldly returns drum machines and analog synthesizer sequencing to the forefront of the guitar-rock landscape, resulting in an album that confidently displays a mastery of song craft and stylistic range while crafting an distinct sonic identity.
Written and demoed in his home studio over the course of a year, R shared his work with no one before traveling to Baltimore to record the album with producer J. Robbins, a friend and collaborator of nearly two decades. The album was completed with contributions from a small handful of friends, including future FOTOCRIME band members Shelley Anderson and Nick Thieneman. The stunning original album cover artwork was painted by Chicago-via-Barcelona artist Noelia Towers, renowned for her beautiful, challenging artwork depicting elements of BDSM and feminine power. An in-demand painter and apparel designer, this is her first commissioned album artwork.
Principle Of Pain is a deeply personal album, the singular work of an artist traversing the peaks and valleys of his obsessions, loves, and fears soundtracked by massive beats, warm synths, and guitars that veer from chiming cleans to blown out fuzz.
The underground scene gives us many opportunities to find out about new bands and meet new great friends. This time I reviewed the new record by The Lost End.
The Lost End are a quartet from Norman, Oklahoma, USA. The guys are playing post punk with some melodic punk and psychodelic influences. The album contains 7 songs and it is quite enjoyable music to listen to. For me personally the music of The Lost End sounds like a hybrid kid between The Menzingers and Joy Division and during the birth of this child the assistants were The Cure and Nick Cave. You can expect some darker tones of music in the song structures and some psychodelia overtones which I dont like very much but they are here few and far between so it is okay. The songs are not too long and not too short, and they are in no way boring as some bands of that subgenre are. These guys managed to keep a great bit of originality in their music and this album was fun to listen to. Top song: “Signs that guide”.
KRAYKULLA-WEBZINE 