Lucrecia Dalt – Cosa Rara (Ft. David Sylvain)

A prolific and limitless musician, performer, composer, and sound artist, Lucrecia Dalt challenges both genre and form, pulling apart familiar elements of pop and experimental music and reassembling them in unexpected ways. Lucrecia grew up in Columbia and she channels her heritage with Cosa Rara, her new single featuring legendary musician David Sylvain. Dalt has made a name for herself as a composer for film and TV, including her original, acclaimed scores for HBO’s series The Baby, and the forthcoming psychological horror The Rabbit Trap. Do investigate her earlier releases.

Alan Abrahams – Try

Originally hailing from South Africa, Alan Abrahams moved to London at the end of the 1990s and began producing music there. Within quite a short time, he had made a name for himself with his project Portable, and later as Bodycode, as an exquisite producer of experimental electronica, techno and house – often rooted in deep house. Presently based in Paris, with Ascend, Abrahams presents his first album under his own name. Clearly he has embraced a more Pop style, yet gathering together all his skills as an electronica producer. Alan says Ascend is very personal, the song titles can be read as a poem. Definitely an enjoyable long-player. Available via Italic Recordings.

Pictoria Vark – I Pushed It Down

If for some reason you are not already a confirmed fan of Ms. Vark then get a move on and deal with the issue of typing in Pictoria Vark only to have your spellcheck program insist on – Victoria Park! It’s fitting of course because Pictoria leans toward being a little contradictory. After all, it really is hard to pin down her music. To slot her excellent songwriting skill into comfy genre. And that of course is a good thing. As with all of Pictoria’s work to date her latest album, Nothing Sticks is essential listening. She speaks her mind honestly through her music. I Pushed It Down happens to be my fave cut at the moment. Listen to those well-realized lyrics, “I pushed it down, I drank to the sound, until I drowned” it could be mournful if it were not for the knowing breath of hope that is the magic of Ms. Vark. I’ve yet to see this talented artist live, I do hope this year we can be in the same place at the same time so I can tell the world just how brilliant Pictoria is.

Dazzle Ships – Keep It With You

Unless  you are familiar with the Pacific North West the name Tacoma may mean a Toyota truck. Of course, you may think the Japanese auto manufacturer chose the name because it has some mystical reference in the Japanese language. When in fact Toyota decided on the  name because it comes from Mount Rainier in Washington State, also known by local Native American tribes as Tahoma or Tacoma. This majestic mountain represents strength and rugged beauty — qualities that are intrinsic to what consumers seek in a pickup truck. OK, so now we have that out of the way now onto the fitting and truly superb music by Dazzle Ships out of Tacoma. This moving and beautiful music is by Jenn Pellerin who explains she made these songs while trying to ignore an aching in my breast. Jenn continues, “2 songs I made during cancer treatment”. Ms. Pellerin also tells us “I made the music, lyrics, vocals etc etc, and I’m donating any money I make off this thing to the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation”. An added note, “lofi just because I suffer from clinical boredom”. Dazzle Ships’ Neutropenic Precautions EP should not be overlooked. Cool sleeve art. 

Tokyo Tea Room – No Rush

A satisfyingly competent album with descriptors like dreamy and dream pop hovering nearby. Not surprising as the Nice Guys label describe their catalogue as Dreamy Gems. The Bordeaux imprint does have a fine collection of releases although I do wish they’d move on from a single genre label. Tokyo Tea Room hail from Canterbury (or is it Margate?) they are Beth Plumb (vocals), Daniel Eliott (guitar & BV’s), Ben Marshall (bass) and Sam Teather (drums). All of the 12 cuts here have a similar feel which I honestly found a little too much in one non-stop listen. Having said that, the title cut, No Rush is beautifully executed and would be cool to hear on indie radio shows.

Ohyung – No Good

Here is the work of Lia Ouyang Rusli who describes their new album as “My trans self and my former self in conversation, from both perspectives.” The artist says, “The record represents their lengthy, complicated, but crucial journey between lives, strewn with both doubt and excitement”. On listening to the LP, You Are Always On My Mind it’s immediately obvious we have an ecstatic, pop-oriented shift in direction from an artist primarily known for noise, experimental hip-hop, and ambient music, but carried with sleek confidence, maturity, and a silvery, hallucinogenic shimmer that reveals Rusli’s experimental background. Rusli writes “sometimes written from a dark place and other times from a place of happiness.” You Are Always On My Mind was, perhaps surprisingly, formed primarily from processed “generic string loops” found in online sample packs – a strange and wilfully jarring reminder that what seems to be is not always what is. Rusli also writes of the influence of rave culture central to their transition, and of the record’s production and theme. “It’s a declaration of love for raves and the dark hazy rooms that helped me to be free and true with myself— seeing other people who are so free and beautiful and thinking that one day that can be me— that’s me in the future.” But there is also a fear and unease present. No Good explores “the worst version of myself as a trans person, feeding doubt to my pre-transition self” with its core lyric anyone can see / I’m no good for you. And…you need to know Ohyung has a couple of remarkable videos to accompany the new album, plus their past releases are not to be missed. Plus this would be a good place to visit, Advocates For Trans Equality.

Holy Tongue – Ambulance Dub

My love of all things Dub stretches back far longer than you may imagine, from the earliest of Jamaican 7” B sides to experimenters in early Techno like Portion Control and Martin Bowes’ Attrition, Dub has been a constant ingredient of all my live sets and radio shows. So, how cool then to share a new double-sided 7” from Holy Tongue. This is the work of a trio of Electro Dub masters, Valentina Magaletti, Al Wootton and Susumu Mukai. Ambulance Dub is on the Trule imprint. Disturbing and compelling. Excellent graphics.

Chiminyo – Up

London-based drummer, percussionist, and electronic producer, Chiminyo is a bit stern when he announces, Chiminyo plays all his music live on his drums. Chiminyo built his own software. Chiminyo does not play to a backing track. Chiminyo is not jazz. Chiminyo’s laptop only plays a sound when he hits a drum or pad. Chiminyo is not a vegan. Chiminyo’s drums control his laptop through triggers. Chiminyo drinks too much coffee… Chiminyo has written and produced since the pandemic years and says, he is “Exploring what it means to live on the edge of transformation—whether as individuals, as a society, or as a species navigating an ever-shifting world.” The LP, Precipice Mixtape is superb.

Freak Slug – Licorice

Freak Slug – Be Your Girl

Where to begin? Out of Manchester comes Xenya Genovese who presents as Freak Slug. A Tik Tok star. Many, many short videos to puruse and become even more confused about Freak Slug. Then there are the long-form videos for her songs. Each one equally perplexing. Or, maybe not, Xenya may just be an artist with a lot of gumption (an old word, I know, but it works). Ms. Genovese is not camera shy and knows exactly how to work it. I haven’t seen anybody this anchored in visual awareness since, oh, I dunno, Bowie perhaps? Xenya Genovese presents so deliberately, so confidently, so damn well. It really is a treat to witness a talent enjoying themselves so much. I have to mention that in most cases sort of like this, there is a manager or a Svengali-like figure lurking in the wings. Yet, I prefer to believe that Freak Slug is organically the invention of Xenya Genovese. And so, now to the music. Listen again if you dismissed what you hear on the first exposure. Clever, witty, sardonic and all produced with a youthful vibrancy that has all but disappeared from most pop music today. Then again, this is not pop music, if we are going to have to label Freak Slug’s work, this is Punk circa NOW! It’s unruly, it’s sexy and sexist and really angry. Freak Slug’s album, I Blow Out Big Candles (But Wit A Cherry On Top) explains a lot, but not everything. Way beyond my curiosity about the  bona fide qualities of Freak Slug there has to be something going on as a massive US and European tour(s) are coming up. You can’t manage that with some assistance, unless of course you are Freak Slug.

Maribou State – All I Need (feat.  Andrea Trianna)

Maribou State – Blackoak

Let me begin by saying the obvious, I love what Maribou State do, Chris Davids & Liam Ivory make exceptional recordings and Hallucinating Love is absolutely massive. Selecting just two cuts was an almost impossible task. This is music I can listen to over and over again, while I’m in the kitchen rustling up dinner, in my car stuck in traffic, at the gym bouncing away on the treadmill. Unfortunately for others around me I tend to sing along at the top of my lungs, definitely out of tune but bloody enthusiastically. Yes, there is a nostalgic mood that permeates Maribou State’s music, while they conjure up a distinctly modern sound. The production techniques surprise and thrill me on each repeated play and the choice of vocalists has to be respected. This is not the time to get political but anyone who does not love this album must have voted for the orange felon. 

Porridge Radio – Don’t Want To Dance

Dana Margolin says “Almost all the songs started out as poems,” of the work that became Porridge Radio’s most recent LP, Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me” Margolin continues, “The recording sessions resulted in a vast amount of material, more than made sense for one album”. Therefore, Dana carved out an EP’s worth of material and we have Machine Starts To Sing. I make no excuses, I’m an unabashed fan of Margolin. Her voice has to be one of the most important in modern music today. I’ve waxed on and on before on why I think Ms. Margolin and Porridge Radio make important music. Hardly ever do I want to reach out and hug a singer songwriter and tell them it’s gonna be alright, yet in the case of Margolin I identify with her words which sound to me to come directly from her heart. Do yourself a favor, even if you don’t have a silly broken heart emerge yourself in the poignant music of Porridge Radio. Oh, and a big thumbs up to Maria Marzaioli of Slum Of Legs on violin. Truly wonderful.

Kamoun – Problema

Sketchy Lines Records out of Brussels bring us Kamoun’s Artifact EP. Three tracks exploring diverse sonic landscapes. Each piece stands out with its own identity, where rich vocals & textures and rhythmic complexity meet unexpected twists. There’s something unpredictable that always surprises us that keeps the listener captivated from start to finish. I selected Problema to close this volume in the expectation you will definitely search out more from Kamoun and Sketchy Lines. A Dubwise treat.

Photograph by Norman B of a drinking fountain at Tampa Theater, a historic U.S. theater and city landmark in Downtown Tampa, Florida. Designed as an atmospheric theatre-style movie palace by architect John Eberson, it opened on October 15, 1926. Digital print 2025 courtesy of Norman B’s collection.