The Slow Clock: Gaze At The Raisin

Dutch singer and guitarist Harmen Kuiper once again has wrapped himself in the cape of his one-man band The Slow Clock. On Gaze At The Raisin he covers a lot of ground within the space of half an hour: 16 tracks about beekeeping, preparing for the apocalypse, secret handshakes, cancel culture, politics, love, and the supposedly healing powers of dried grapes.

His knack for coming up with intricate melodies and serve them as on point lo-fi psych-pop songs is in full force, with actress and musician Amarins Romkema helping out to smooth things over just a bit. The percussion is so dry that having a choice beverage on hand is probably a good idea.

Dez Dare: These Days Are Wild & Blind

photo: Michiel de Wilde

Darren Smallman keeps it a bit closer to home and more personal on These Days Are Wild & Blind, the latest album by his one-man trash punk band Dez Dare. That doesn't mean that he is no longer shouting at the heavens (and for good reason), but a bit of introspection has found its way into his music - some of it is even played on acoustic instruments. He is pretty intense throughout, like a volcano that is about erupt, with a rumbling rhythm shift as a last minute warning.

Fuzz is still a huge part of his sound, but like the Stooges are already knew having a freewheeling sax player on hand, does not hurt either. He has expanded his musical palette and left the safety of his comfort zone behind, which must have been both a scary and liberating experience. Imagine Traffic having a jam session with Can and Sonic Youth.

Sewage Farm: Wasted Mind

English garage rock power trio Sewage Farm have released another fast-paced single, Wasted Mind, which will appeal to anyone who can't be bothered caring for other people's problems, because they are busy trying to cope with their own hassles. The video was made by Bjorn Dorfal.

Wasted Mind is released thru Desert Mine Music.

Live dates:

• 06/04 York @ Black Horse
• 06/10 Leeds @ The Attic Brudenell Social Club

» sewagefarm.com

Rosie Carney: sixteen (night tapes)

photo: Cal McIntyre

Irish singer Rosie Carney has taking another look at her single Sixteen. This "night tapes" version is more dreamy, but the existential dread of the original is still there, albeit covered up in layers of echo and reverb. It is part of her doomsday night tapes project, a reworking of her Doomsday... Don't Leave Me Here album, on which she goes for a more intimate, stripped down mode.

North Star: shows in Zwolle and Amsterdam

Dutch electropop band North Star will be playing in Zwolle and Amsterdam to promote the release of their third full-length Death: "an album about life - no pun intended. Shit happens, and some of it is pretty damning and hard to cope with, but they won't let it bring them down. Facing their demons (Intrusion) and being pissed off (Just My Luck) won't solve anything, but it will make them feel better for sure."