Scaled Alps: Let the Alpine Play

Californian quartet Scaled Alps are all over the place on their Let the Alpine Play album, switching between goth, psychedelic, rock, funk, rap and jazz without missing a beat. They tried to capture Los Angeles by night, where the promise of sex, looking for a high and the danger of violence are caught up in a never-ending tug of war. The overall sound is a bit muffled - especially the vocals - as if the band were recording the songs in a safe spot, hiding from the rage outside.

It is a sonic portrait of the seedy side of the City of Angels (or any big city for that matter). The band obviously have a love-hate relationship with their place of residency. Pointing out the gems lying in the dirt gets equal billing with the horrors. Sunny-side up real estate brokers and soccer moms will hate it, but fans of bands like Bauhaus and Nick Cave an the Bad Seeds can pick it up without blinking an eye.

Wyatt: Morning

Manchester slacker garage rockers Wyatt wrote their debut single Morning shortly after an amp broke down during a show. It made them realise that such a thing isn't that big of a thing to worry about, because shit happens. If anything, they got a nice melancholic tune with a hint of optimism out of it.

Morning is released via Heist or Hit, available on all the usual digital outlets. The video was directed by Seth Lloyd.

Frank Black: "Teenager of the Year - Live" Black Friday release

Frank Black (a.k.a. Black Francis) performed at the London Palladium on February 6, 2025 as part of the anniversary tour for his Teenager of the Year, album. The Pixies frontman played the album in full, as well as five tracks from his self-titled debut album. The show is being released as a 3LP (2200 copies) and 2CD (1300 copies) for Black Friday (November 27).

Female Gaze: linea nigra

photo: Clay Lyon

Tuscon, AZ based alt-rock trio Female Gaze throw a spanner in the works to kick off their linea nigra. The short instrumental the future is already hurting me starts with birdsong and takes a sharp left with a power chord that sounds almost Shirley Bassey's Goldfinger segueing into morose, pondering bass part setting the stage for the title track, a meandering track with just a hint of Tex Mex.

They are not afraid to push repetition to the limit, creating tension and only offering release when it suits them. Female Gaze create their own safe spaces and don't welcome outside visitors with open arms. A song like mamaya may contain surf elements, but its undertow is treacherous, with singer Nelene DeGuzman acting a captivating indie rock siren. This is an album that is an emotional roadmap and the sign-posted song titles along the way make it clear that some of the destinations are not particularly wholesome. Get on board and get lost.

Mouth Ulcers: Lady Rust

London neo-goth quartet Mouth Ulcers took one half of The Cure (going as far as namechecking their Head on the Door album) and one half of the Sisters of Mercy for their new single Lady Rust, about an undead women turned vampire who is adamant to kick out all the folks who dare to venture into her Manor House. Everything around her falls apart, because stuff ages while she doesn't. The band's bass heavy take on late '80s early '90s imagery will strike a chord with disgruntled emo teens of all ages.