Harker “Out The Window”
One of UK’s most exciting punk outfits, Harker, is coming back with another killer single—“Out The Window.” Screaming out persistent existential angst of climate crisis and the despair of a generation left to deal with this pressing problem, “Out The Window” is the cry to arms that we all been waiting for: exactly how long are we going to ignore this?
Furious but thought-provoking. Harker doesn’t have to dive too deep for “Out The Window” to come out—it’s in all of us, screaming in the back of our heads. It’s pressing on our shoulders, burned into our mind’s eyes. And today, hearing them, putting these frustration and prolonged despair into the sonics, crafting the shapes and tastes of soundscapes and lyrics to be palpable—it’s cathartic and needed to be heard.
Harker delivers with finger-licking power-pop riffs that evoke the undying iconic phantoms from the ‘90s, but not without a progressive, edgy grunge roughness that weaved together with the rawest punk aesthetic. They are the kind of band that makes you nod and say, “that’s really something.”
Punk can’t exist without angst, but the angst always comes from heart, punching a way out of the current mud state. The band have confirmed that they are releasing four new singles this year. “Out The Window” marks the second out of four, so stay tuned!
DCxPC Live Presents Vol. 15 No Coffin Live at Lou's
Captured live at Lou’s, Vol. 15 gives listeners a taste of death and doom, seeing art in its rawest form. No Coffin, the heavy hitters and touring machine brings the best of the best while on the road. Vol. 15 sees them toying with noise in a way that reminds you Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain. Hysteric and stadium-filling, swamp mixed with hardcore filtered through metal and punk. It’s a taste of sweat and blood with immerse energy and disobedience.
“Reverse Prayer” crawls in with high contrast and flickering drone. The track pains the room black and mad, roaming with massive, commotion-staring rhythm. Race and rest, death and punch. They alter pace and soundscapes, awakening a range of drastically diverse visualizations through separate scenes. “.45” is fierce and maddening, fused with gunfire and aggression. The track catches No Coffin at their most unapologetic and vengeful, one foot into forbidden sonic lands with palpable angst and brain-melting hits.
“Fire Is The Cleanser Into All Life Must Ends” is hell-like and dominating. It puts you in full submission as if witnessing something majesty and unstoppable in full action. Destruction meets rebirth in metallic sonic world-building, while the process itself feels even ritual-like. Fire, as a symbol of cleansing, is a powerful, vivid force. There’s so much storytelling in this track that’s simply amazing to witness.
No Coffin is able to offer something different with each of their tracks. Though always heavy as hell and rock your head off, their dooming sound and noise manipulation is done with much mastery and impulsiveness. “Over By Portishead” is something else. Setting its scene in a lonesome, haunting riff, one man’s screaming cuts through all the silence and space and becoming something truly haunting and spine-tingling. When the percussion kicks in, the man’s voice is somehow covered up but still, he’s unsilenced.
The longer the show goes on, the deeper No Coffin seems to be in contact with the roots of rock—blues, with its purity and sickness, being amplified and derived in noise-coiled, electrified sounds.
In the last year, No Coffin has played 160 shows. They are looking to top that number this year. If you happen to be in the area, don’t miss the opportunity to get your ears dirty.
Das Wortspiel ‘Chapter I’
Art takes its form freely as it sees fits. There’s no set rules or genres in term of Das Wortspiel, the project by sound producer and composer Max Smogol and singer Maryana Golovko. In their debut LP Chapter 1, they travel across genres. Fusion and exploration journeys through poems written by Ukrainian artists from different eras, tackling themes such as war, struggle, resistance and dislocation. Das Wortspiel takes a free form approach with form and experimentation, effectively and dramatically crafting inner and outer experiences through music.
Every track in Chapter I is a unique work of art. They evoke different emotional responses that are at times thought provoking and deeply stirring. With spoken words that poetically articulate the complex experience of emigration, being in a foreign country, unable to go back home with precision and artistry, their music feels like a sonic documentary that uncovers the multitude of truth through unconventional presentation.
Ethnic singing traces the roots of ritualistic practices, self expression, meditation and folkloric storytelling. Layered with theatrical performance, field recordings and minimalistic instruments. Like an immersive, eye-opening sound installation, Chapter I invites you to a highly sensuous odyssey, where you’ll be reunited with a piece of your lost soul. Wes Wortspiel’s music is both hypnotic and evocative. At times, it feels like a gaze into the fire, feeling yourself recharging and reawakening, and at times, they gets under your skin with grounding soundscapes and singing from ancient cultures. “Rummy Rum” is atmospheric and meditative. Filled with haunting vocals and soaring expressions, they tap into a raw, emotive experience, stripping away all the contemporary noises.
Whether it is through the mending of field recording and instrumental, vocal music, they manage to change your perception of reality and puts you in a different world while engaging you with a glimpse into one’s most sacred heart space and inner world. “The Different Country” leaves its heart open to all experiences and adventures. Highly sensitive and vulnerable. The track gives you goosebumps.
The last songs from the album venture into more abstract spaces. A nostalgic recall of an earlier time. There’s so much life in the throbbing, dance rhythm, swirling soundscapes that fill your eyes with wonder, before going back to that deeply emotive heart space again. Chapter I is a translucent and transcending experience.
Coma Beach “Jesus' Tears”
Revenge and punks goes hand in hand. There’s certain truth in anger and vengeance: the consequence and aftermath of tragedy that demands contemplation. Inspired by Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Gordon, “Jesus’ Tears” is an episode from Coma Beach’s debut album, The Scapegoat’s Agony. Originally recorded and released in 1995 and released in 2021, the album depicts the delusional state of an unnamed anti-hero. As he imagined himself being crucified along Jesus Christ, the man vowed to avenge those who was responsible.
Driven and disillusioned, turmoil meets exhilaration in the 7th song from The ScPegoat’s Agony. Sonically, “Jesus’ Tears” is mind-blowing. It depicts a burning transition from the grit and darkness of 90s’ grunge to a piercing angst that can’t escape the room to the eventual “punkification”—revenge. In driven, exhilarating rhythm, the intensified track blows your mind through hauntingly palpable sonics and evocative lyrics coiled in noir aesthetic.
“Jesus’ Tears” is brutal. Riding waves of emphasised backbeats and high-speed flickers of electricity and fire, It has less to do what they channeled, but what they created and provoked. Coma Beach seems to have a way of reflecting societal issues through weaving music making into fictional storytelling. In a sense, The Scapegoat’s Agony is like a mirror into the past, but somehow still deeply resonating with the current.
Read our interview with coma Beach and learn more about the behind stories of “Jesus’ Tears.”
Punk Head: I love how you combine literary fictions and philosophy with music making. ”Jesus’ Tears” has a dark anti-hero take on the Crucifixion ofJesus, what was the creative process like for this track?
Coma Beach: Our creative process would generally work something like this: one of oursongwriters (singer B. Kafka, guitarist Captain A. Fear or bassist U. Terror) would come up with a story idea, mostly already put into concretelyrics; in some cases, those lyrics would have to be translated from German into English, as happened with “Jesus’ Tears,” for example. After that, our guitarist Captain A. Fear would work his inimitable songwriting magic by wedding suitable chords to the lyrics and then off we would rush to our rehearsal basement to blast out the new songs in full force😉.
As track #7, “Jesus’ Tears” fits quite well into the overall narrative of our album The Scapegoat’s Agony, as it depicts one of the unnamed antihero's delusional states of mind, with him imagining being crucified next to Jesus Christ and vowing to avenge himself on those he deems responsible for his suffering. Consequently, the following episode in the antihero's excruciating mental and emotional odyssey, as laid out in “Astray (Fallen Angel)“, witnesses him assuming the treacherous persona of a Christ-like would-be saviour. What could possibly go wrong here?😉
PH: Was there a particular work that inspired you to experiment and experience literature through music?
Coma Beach: Actually, there were several authors, artists and philosophers whose works, consciously or subconsciously, had a major impact on our music and our lyrics. The first one to mention here would be Irish playwright and novelist Samuel Beckett, who was generous enough to lend the title to our album The Scapegoat’s Agony, which is a direct quote from arguably his most famousplay Waiting for Godot and perfectly encapsulates one of the main topicalthreads running through our album: the existentialist view of the world’sutter meaninglessness and the necessity to soldier on in spite of this apparentlack of a higher purpose in the human condition.
Other crucial literary influences included Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, with his satirical-sarcastic approach to the absurdities ofhuman existence; William Shakespeare’s plays, especially some of his tragedies, such as Hamlet, Macbeth or King Lear, with their characters having to suffer through existential and – not infrequently – self-inflicted conflicts; or Arthur Schopenhauer’s system of a radical metaphysical pessimism.
Add to this some deeply unsettling motifs of the-nightmarish-in-everyday-life, as employed in the works of Franz Kafka and director David Lynch, forinstance, and – voilà – you get The Scapegoat’s Agony😉.
PH: What was your history with punk rock?
Coma Beach: Like a lot of musicians, we started out covering several songs from our favourite bands, some of them punk or punk-ish, such as Sex Pistols, Ramones or Die Ärzte, some of them post-punk, such as The Cure or The Jesus and Mary Chain. When we finally began to create our own material, our songs at first turned out to sound more in the post-punk vein: “Passion" and “Absurd", tracks #6 and #10 off our album, are perfect examples of thismore despondent streak of ours.
Starting with “The Past Of The Future” (track #1), “Nothing Right” (track#2) and “A Madman’s Dream” (track #4), our music began to take on moreand more of a raw and unbridled classic-punk quality and energy, whichwould become kind of our signature sound.
PH: Can you tell us more about you as a band?
Coma Beach: Our band was formed in 1993 by singer B. Kafka, guitarist Captain A. Fear and drummer M. Lecter, with bassist U. Terror and rhythm guitarist M. Blunt completing the lineup. After extensive touring throughout Germany, we recorded and released our debut album The Scapegoat’s Agony with the German punk label Impact Records in 1995. Only one year later, we split up and, well, that seemed to have been the end of it. Short, sharp and quick, as it were😉.
In 2021, however, with the advent of various different streaming services andright in the middle of a global pandemic to boot, we decided that the time was right to once again unleash our relentless aural assaults upon an ailing and unsuspecting world: and so here we are😉.
PH: What would you like to tell your supporters out there?
Coma Beach: It has been immensely encouraging and rewarding to find out that there is still an open-minded and enthusiastic audience for the type of music we created almost 30 years ago. So thank you, all our dear supporters out there, known and unknown, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for listening, sharing and caring, we really appreciate it very, very much🙏🤗❤!
heavy on the heart. “Mr. Know It All”
Heavy on the heart. may be new to the scene, but they are not to be overlooked. Like a rolling fireball, they fill up every venue and acoustic space with fierce energy and infectious melodies. “Mr. Know It All,” inspired by a real-life jerk bags, who was dating multiple girls with the same name at the same time, sends a message to everyone who’s in the dating scene—know your worth and pay attention to red flags. With flaming guitars shooting fire into the sky and lead singer Nikki’s powerhouse vocal that rocks those highly relatable lyrics, “Mr. Know It All” is a heavy hitter, easy to love.
As a debut single from heavy on the heart., “Mr. Know It All” takes something from pop and punk and rubs it with emo. Catchy, loud, unapologetic and full of angst, the song is definitely sending all the jerk bags out there in flame. There’s so much passion in heavy on the heart.’s music. Their sound comes from a place of empowerment and liberation, and even though the track falls into the heavier side, the listening experience is fun-filled and cathartic.
Read our interview with the masterminds—Nikki and Costas and learn more about their separate and collective journeys as musicians.
Punk Head: I love how cinematic and infectiously powerful "Mr. Know It All" is. Is the song inspired by a real-life event/person?
Nikki: Yes, Mr. Know it All was actually inspired by a real person. I was dating a guy that was dating multiple girls with the same name, at the same time so he wouldn’t confuse us when he talked to us or took us out. He acted like the knight and shining armor all women would dream about. He said everything right and did everything right, until he didn’t. One day Costas and I were sitting around talking about how we could write this song from a female perspective and I told him about this guy and he obviously laughed but said it could be super relatable and this incredible song was born!
PH: Is there a particular message or theme you hope listeners take away from this single?
Nikki: The message I hope that is taken away from this song is know your worth! Not another soul on the planet will give it to you. You deserve the best no matter who you are but do NOT put up with red flags from a person that is scum and not worth your time!
PH: How did your band members initially come together?
Costas: Nikki and I began writing music in December 2020. We initially started writing pop songs and were just going to create a little studio project. I was playing in a band known as PRSNA at the time. PRSNA broke up unexpectedly and abruptly in the summer of 2021 and Nikki and I decided to form a band. Initially it was going to be be a duo.
We hit the studio in September 2021 and recorded 6 songs. Nikki got pregnant and we decided to use the time formulate a band and continue writing new material. Our drummer, Nick Kolokathis came along in November 2021 and we instantly clicked. While Nikki was on maternity leave, Nick and I used that time to try out bass players. It wasn’t until October 2022 where Andrew Nicolae came along and really rounded out the lineup.
We spent the next few months working out kinks, writing and rehearsing. We formally introduced heavy on the heart. on January 27, 2023 opening for The Color Fred and Alex Melton.
PH: How is the music scene in Long Island?
Costas: The music scene on Long Island has always been an up and down slope. It is a very “clicky” place. Almost a bunch of smaller scenes running parallel to each other. I personally feel these smaller scenes are alive but they are not thriving the way they should be. I truly believe in strength and numbers and at the end of the day, music is not a competition. We don’t compete for championships. It would be nice to see the gaps bridged between all these sub scenes and I think it would be beneficial to all involved.
If scene 1 is drawing 50 people, scene 2 is drawing 20 people, scene 3 is drawing 100 people, then combining those scenes would bring roughly 170 people. I think we get so comfortable that we forget there are other ways to expand our reach. Only so many times you can rotate the same 10 bands on a bill before the numbers start dwindling. Before it gets “old.”
There are certainly promoters trying to bridge the gap and I truly respect the hell out of all of them for doing it. Long Island breeds so many talented, amazing and unique bands and they all deserve to be seen and heard. We should be making it easier for them instead of being a hindrance.
Another thing that has been plaguing our scene lately is tribute and cover bands. Truthfully, there is nothing wrong with people paying homage to the bands and artists who inspired them to play. Bars, venues and event halls should be splitting the time between tribute acts and original bands. We all play a role in this emergence and while cover bands serve their purpose and have their place, we need to focus on original and emerging artists as well. I think within the near future, we will see a little shift in this momentum though. There is only so many times a venue can book the same tribute band or multiple tribute bands who are paying homage to the same artist. With original music, the sky is the limit to how far it could go. When it comes to tribute acts, there is a finish line with where it could go before they have even played their first show. This is not a knock to anybody. Just my thoughts on the matter. I respect anybody who can get on a stage and do their thing.
PH: What is the one thing that you’d like your fans to know about you?
Costas: Playing music is something I do to feel complete. To feel whole. To feel normal. To feel like me. It’s one of the few things nobody can ever take away from me. If you are passionate about something, do it. Don’t stop doing it. Keep on doing it. We only have one life and we need to live it to its fullest.
Nikki: Singing is something I am so passionate about. I was a classically trained singer when I was younger when I was 18 I got into a car accident that crushed my larynx and I thought I would never be able to sing again. I went through the next few years still singing in the shower and performing hit concerts in my car to myself however something was still missing. In December of 2020 I decided that I was going to gift my husband an original song and I reached out to Costas for his help. We wrote and recorded the song in just under three weeks. Thanks to Costas guidance and knowledge in the field, a huge flame was relit and I knew that I needed to get back into singing. I finally told Costas this is something I would absolutely love to continue and asked if he would continue working with me. The rest is history. Singing is part of my soul and makes me feel so alive. Especially after having my beautiful son I want him to see that you should never give up on your dreams.
Magna Zero ‘The Great Nothing’
The void is a gift, and through it, nothing becomes everything. There’s much power in the nothingness. For some, it’s a mirror to gaze into one’s soul, and for the other, is where the answers surface after the painful rebirth through long, dry tunnel. The Great Nothing is just like its name suggests—magnificent, inside nothing there’s everything. Through these seemingly random yet noise-coiled odyssey into the wormhole of our existence, transcendence and celebration is the result.
The essence of The Great Nothing lies between psych and desert, space and evocation. A sprawling, mind-bending quest into nothingness, but instead of dropping you into a deep hole of frozenness and isolation, Magna Zero discover the meaning of it all. There’s celebration in the void of music, flamboyant firework in the abyss that gazes back to you. They chew and spit the same turbulence of existential crisis, but turning under rocks, the raw, magnificent beauty of nature touched them. And they bring it into their music.
Behind nothingness, there’s everything, all the marvelous, gorgeous scenes that music is capable of creating, all the unspoken questions, emotions that are woven together are there. And they see it too. There’s deep appreciation runs through The Great Nothing like veins..
Magna Zero brings a whole world into your ears. Sensory awakening, gritty, introspective and translucent. Sonically, they remind you of Guns N Roses meets Elton John, a sort of hysteria and exhilaration wrapped up in retro aesthetic. “Under The Dirt” takes you to a dirt-fueled groove-infused on-the-road rock concert. Their glitchy sonic collage is simply so pleasurable to listen to, and the deeper you go with The Great Nothing, the more sensory evocative their sonics are.
With vocals that have the charm and power like a cult leader yet remains out of touch, Magna Zero is unstoppable. “Oblivion” has the flattering soundscapes as if the inside of a red hot iron, but instead of finding it burning, it’s freezingly cold. “Step Into The Light” turns on Magna Zero’s spacious intimacy with a clean sound. The Great Nothing showcases their versatility to stimulate a range of experiences.
Punk Head: The Great Nothing showcases Magna Zero's versatility and range as a band. I love the unique blends of sonic palettes in this album and how it constantly inspires listeners to expand. Can you discuss any specific elements or themes that contribute to the album's ethos/aesthetic?
Chris (Guitar): Letting go and being free was a mantra for me. No ego. Just expressing yourself through your instrument in any way you seem fit. Most of the tracks that made it on the album came out of free jams where this mantra got to flourish.
Dave (Drums): Specific themes/aesthetics would be “lose yourself to find yourself,” “darkness = light”—you can't have one without the other, and “the scientific truth of the universe that we somehow tap into.” It’s incredible to experience what comes out of three of us in a such a natural way when we play music together. We definitely seem to connect with a wormhole to “creation.”
Jason (Vocals/Bass/Keys): For me, the ethos of this album is about journeying to a state of inner peace and oneness with the cosmos, through embracing nothingness from within and transcending the self to experience unity with everything. To be unconditionally free; one must first allow themselves to become nothing. A black hole’s transformative power of creation through destruction illustrates this well, which is why we chose it as the cover image for the album.
PH: Which song(s) from the album do you think best represent your artistic vision?
Jason: The messages of peace, love, and unity in songs like “Step Into The Light,” “Endure,” and “We Are All” are what I hope most strongly resonate with our audience. And yet, every song from the album illuminates some aspect or another of the collective and individual quests to better know unconditional love and compassion.
Dave: Every song to me represents the artistic vision—the vision is really out of our control...it just happens from the love we have for each other and the love for music.
Chris: I could pick any song, but I feel “All Must Go” really showcases our collaborative efforts and what can come out of our free jams. I’m glad it opens the album.
PH: Can you tell us more about you as a band?
Chris: We’ve been fortunate to be close friends most of our lives. Our music is second to that.
Jason: Much like friends finishing each other’s sentences, we sense where each of us is going musically in our improvisational work together. It’s very much a creative conversation, a language of rhythm, vibe, and melody that we co-create.
Dave: Our band is really us as musicians that love creating and jamming to whatever music seems to come out. We literally don't have any control or vision or pre-concieved definition/notion as to how the music will be. It just seems to take its own form from free jamming with each other.
PH: Are there any specific musical or lyrical influences that play a role in the creation of this album?
Dave: All these songs were born from improvisational free jamming that we eventually carved and molded into the tracks/songs that you hear/experience now. It's pretty damn cool.
Jason: I was listening to a lot of Pink Floyd, The Cure, Black Sabbath, Rage Against The Machine, and Bob Marley at the time we were creating The Great Nothing. I’d like to think the spirit of those artists and many others seeped into the DNA of the album in some way.
Chris: A lot of the album was conceived and written during the pandemic. I think it was inevitable it would have an influence on the vibe of the music and lyrical content.
PH: What is the one thing you'd like your fans to know about you?
Jason: Our band creates music for everyone, regardless of color, creed, politics, gender identity, who one loves, or infinite other differences that some would have divide and weaken us. Music is a powerful reminder of our shared humanity, through which we can unite for a better world.
Chris: Being fans of live music ourselves, we’re excited to showcase the album and more live!
Dave: Met one of music/drumming heroes, Matt Cameron (drums for Soundgarden/Pearl Jam) literally a couple weeks ago at the L.A. Airport. We shared a few words and a handshake. Something I'll never forget.
Heterogeneous ‘This is a New Genre Called Static Pop’
A fascinating crossing of pop and noise exists in Heterogeneous’ own creation of Static Pop—a new genre that is essentially different from everything you’ve heard before. This is a New Genre Called Static Pop is far from noise pop, but its raspy-edged vocal style and modal, monophonic approach slightly recalls a genre called metal. But if you listen to it a little closely, you’d find the way noise is coiled up into everything has nothing to do with metal but noise aesthetic.
From “Playing Ball In The Dark,” the sort of a “sticky” relationship between the rhythm section and the melodic announces its disobedience and rebel to the usual rules of rhythm in popular music. Instead of playing into a repetitive pattern, it simply flickers spontaneously. Certain patterns are formed, but mostly an evocation to a greater audio-visual stimulation.
There’s so much character in this music that instead of sounding like a song, it’s its own person. “Noise man” talking and singing, telling stories in each chapter/episode. It’s relatable and sophisticated. With each song, it shows a slightly different side of it. Sometimes a little goofy and sometimes a little scary and emotional. It has a diverse range of emotions and moods, but at core, you know it’s the Static Pop you know. With This is a New Genre Called Static Pop, it feels like a relationship can be formed between the listener and the genre.
“It’s So Hard” ventures into monophony, which offers a gateway to understand Static Pop. It resembles medieval music and eastern music, but remains in its own lane. Instead of using the established western music system, the music in this album seems to be between modal and atonal (noise, for example). There’s always the element of melody and it’s captivating, but it doesn’t obey the same minor or major scale. “Something” is a perfect example of how Heterogeneous pushes these lines further.
Read our interview with Heterogeneous and learn more about Static Pop.
Punk Head: I absolutely love Static Pop, this new genre you created. Tell us more about it? When did you first have the idea?
Heterogeneous: I’ve always had the idea of creating new genres even before I started working on Static Pop but I guess Static Pop really came together during production with the distorted wall of noise or "static" feel to it if you will. I wanted to blend Noise music and Pop music together even since I got into noise music.
PH: How did you come up with the name Static Pop? What's the inspiration?
Heterogeneous: I came up with the name Static Pop after all the songs were finished. I was listening to the album and I just thought Static Pop fits the feel of this album nicely, it also has a nice ring to it, although it could be considered more Punk than Pop. The inspiration for this album came mostly just from the want to create something new and original. I wanted to leave people thinking "I never heard anything like this before.”
PH: What are you most proud about This is a New Genre Called Static Pop?Which song do you like the best and why?
Heterogeneous: My proudest thing about this album is that it's completely D.I.Y. I've been fascinated with the D.I.Y scene for a while now. There's a couple joints on Static Pop that I really fuck with but if I had to choose just one it would probably be "Slanted" because the lyrics are very true to my life. That or "Playing Ball In The Dark" because it just slaps.
PH: Can you tell us more about you as an artist?
Heterogeneous: As an artist I always try to bring new things to life. I don't like the idea of turning music into a formula or just riding the current trends. I always thought music should be, at least in one way or another, truly original and from the heart, even if it's a little rough around the edges.
PH: What is the one thing that you’d like your fans to know about you?
Heterogeneous: As the name suggest, you can expect diversity from me. I plan on bringing new genres and sounds to the table. If you dig hearing truly unique and original music then I believe I can scratch that itch. I fucks with anyone who fucks with me. Let's grow this shit together.
Blue Shirt Charlie “Misty”
“Misty” is the kind of song that sink you into a moment at the same time taking you on a journey. In its slow brewing of rippling guitar soundscapes, outside noises and turmoils are stripped away. You feel your heartbeat slow down, and your thoughts become clear, your heart begins to really feel and breathe. In this intimate, almost personal setting, Blue Shirt Charlie takes you to a state between bleak and sultry, between on the road and gazing into the campfire.
The Eagles lives in “Misty,” and so is the era of classics. The phantoms of so many iconic songs flash through your ears, but it’s not really them that makes you tear up, it’s the weight of powerful, life-soaked lyrics that stir something inside you. A truth and a perspective. It tells the story of a cynical person, who has given up on love stumble upon a kindred spirit. It’s about gratitude with the unescapable undertone of life’s harshness and tender blessing.
“Misty” gives you goosebumps. Blue Shirt Charlie makes the kind of music that still echos in your ears even when it ends. The state it invites you to, and the conversations it sparks doesn’t end when the song ends. It lives on, and you know, you can always come back to this moment when you need a little grounding or soul-searching. Somehow there are answers in Blue Shirt Charlie’s music even though the questions are not always visible.
Punk Head: I love the genuineness in the sound and storytelling of "Misty." Tell us more about the track. Did the story find you or the other way around?
Blue Shirt Charlie: The narrator in “Misty” is somebody who quit—gave up on finding a meaningful relationship connection. When we catch up with them, they’re grateful—stunned—to wander into a kindred spirit. Maybe love is indifferent to whether or not you think you deserve it. One of Richie’s lyrical strengths is conveying a lot of narrative information in a few words—“You were shy and strong like you had nothing to prove.” I love that line—it’s about the partner, but shines a light on the narrator’s insecurities and maybe disillusionment with our photoshopped, auto-tuned world.
PH: What do you like the best about this track?
Blue Shirt Charlie: We love its slow burn. Our early, discarded takes kept escalating the music into a big, bold ending. It took a lot of restraint to keep it linear, but that kept the mood intact. Because the song’s about gratitude—that’s a pretty level emotional state—so maybe keep the amps at 5 and most of the cymbals in the van.
PH: What is your creative vision as a band?
Blue Shirt Charlie: We let the songs do the driving. I mean…we’d prefer to write “Hotel California,” but if all we can come up with is like “Mambo Number 5,” we’ll still try and make you listen to it.
PH: Who are your biggest inspirations?
Blue Shirt Charlie: First, U2’s classic The Joshua Tree. The outro of “With or Without You” captures the beauty, sadness, glory, grit and speechless longing that this album is soaked in. The soaring chorus and The Edge’s jubilant digital delay on "Where the Streets Have No Name.” The pulsing bass and desperate kick of “Exit." All this and more is why this album kept me on the planet as a teen. Also—dang—The Old 97’s…turn the lights off and listen to “Bel Air.” Then tell me I’m wrong.
PH: What is the one thing that you’d like your fans to know about you?
Blue Shirt Charlie: There are 100 million songs on Spotify. The fact you spend a couple of minutes connecting with things that rattled around in our brains feels amazing.
Groovy Shirt Club ‘Electric Flowers’
Electric Flowers draws you in with intoxicating vibes and rich soundscapes. Deep and meaningful lyrics that feel like a gateway into our lives. Groovy Shirt Club seems to get all your happy feelings and knotty thoughts and the songs on Electric Flowers are soundtracks to accompany each down and glorious moments. Between the jazzy hums and full, sunset colors, Electric Flowers take you to such a special place, with nostalgia, memory and retro love. Intoxicating, introspective and kind of therapeutic.
“A Walk in the Park” is a memorable song. Smooth but vibrant, modern but subtle. It has a little jazzy flair with a vocal and a brass in conversation. Then there’s the occasionally soulful vocal harmonies that shine in between moments. Just like a soundtrack from a movie, it’s sultry and danceable, romantic and optimistic. As a song about love, it feels just like love.
In tender piano, the heartfelt vocals in “Midnight Blue” draws you in. It paints a vivid scene of a character taking a contemplative walk in the rain, under the moonlight. There’s the immediacy of imagery, of seeing these characters going through their separate lives through music. It makes a really powerful visual presence, making these scenes almost palpable with moods and tastes, characters in motion.
“Midnight Blues” marks an important moment in Electric Flowers. From there, the album seems to spiral deeper and deeper into the world of motion picture. Like soundtracks in a movie, “Everything Like New” and “Can You Hear Me” each store a mood—a moment that’d last forever, preserved in songs.
“Everything Like New” has the strong desire of nostalgia and the touch of change to it. The deeply touching song delves into a time of change, looking at the new life, looking back at the old life. Soft vocals and deep piano in echoes. While bluesy notes and slight jazzy percussion adds a hint of somber. “Can You Hear Me” signals a life-changing climax. It’s sophisticated, drastic and even chaotic. Fate and choice meets at a crossroad. Uncertainty and heaviness woven into the sounds. And “Every Time You Walk Away” brings the grand jazzy embrace we’ve all been waiting for. With a walking bass and a slow but graceful groove. Butterfly piano. Soothing deep voice.
There’s so much to sink in from Electric Flowers. Groovy Shirt Club really brings quite a meaningful experience through their songs. Everyone can find a piece of themselves, a reflection of a moment in their lives in the album. And to have that perspective is priceless.
Read our interview with the band and learn more about the “movie” behind Electric Flowers.
Punk Head: Absolutely love the authenticity and storytelling in Electric Flowers. Tell us more about this album. How did everything come together?
Groovy Shirt Club: I've always written songs with a reflective and philosophical view on life. Contemplating relationships, love and life itself. The stories come from actual experiences and the authenticity shines through because the arrangements, performances and recordings are all done in live takes by musicians who are great friends and share the same mindset. Some of the songs began as tracks for a film soundtrack but the movie ran into problems and was never completed. I forged ahead regardless as I was really enjoying the writing process and collaborating with old mates to get the tracks down. The sound of the group then just emerged naturally as everyone threw the best of themselves into it without fear or criticism or anyone damping down their creative flair in an attempt to fit the songs into a commercial box. In production terms, there was a deliberate conscious decision to not use any samples, electronics, midi files, loops, or software trickery. Every single note is played by the band. And so as the production process went through the mixing and mastering by the wonderful Francis Gorini at London Mastering Studio, he maintained that creative flow and allowed the tracks to breathe and sound natural. So what we have as a result is us and absolutely nothing else.
PH: Which song do you like the best and why?
Groovy Shirt Club: This is difficult. I love all of them. But I would say that, wouldn't I? But if I had to pick one, I would go for “A Walk in the Park.” I was going through a bit of a Burt Bacharach phase and I wanted to create a vibe and feel for a song in homage to him. I immersed myself in all things Bacharach from his 60's period, which for me was his purple patch. What I came up with I hope does him justice without being a pastiche and also sounds contemporary and fresh. John's bass line and Neil's drumming drive the song with a lovely, lilting laid back power. Bruce's keys add an understated finesse and the subtle but sumptuous harmonies from Ola round the song off beautifully. The cherry on the cake was getting Chris Storr on board to play trumpet. Once he confirmed he was available, all I said was give it the full Herb Alpert and left him to it. The song came together perfectly, almost like IT was deciding what we all played to make it work. With all the darkness around us these days, I love that this song has such a light, airy, innocent fun about it, reminiscent of those 60's classics.
PH: Can you tell us more about Groovy Shirt Club?
Groovy Shirt Club: We've all been around too much to worry about doing anything other than just being ourselves. We are serious about what we do but don't take ourselves too seriously. There's a raw honesty with no egos. Each of us takes things constructively and will adapt their contribution for the betterment of the whole. No one person is more important then the rest. It's our joint effort, in sympathy with each other which makes Groovy Shirt Club work.
PH: Who are your biggest inspirations?
Groovy Shirt Club: Between us our influences and musicians who inspire us is enormously broad and I think you can hear that in the songs. It ranges from Billy Joel to Beethoven, The Beatles to Buddy Rich. Aretha through 50's rock n roll all the way to Zeppelin.
PH: What is the one thing that you’d like your fans to know about you?
Groovy Shirt Club: We are genuine people with a great sense of humour, integrity, a real love of music and enjoy creating something that we hope resonates with people.
Shai Rose “Overthinking”
“Overthinking” marks the first puzzle piece from Shia Rose’s debut album, The Road. The song revolves around the experience of starting a new chapter of a new beginning, however bittersweet that might be. It was at the time when Rose has just glued herself back from the initial heartbreak. She fell in love with a friend, but ended up being heartbroken all over again. The feelings of being lost rushed back again, she found herself trapped in overthinking, just like many did and many are.
“Not every love will set you free, not every love was meant to be.” She journals what she felt into the lyrics. Charged with immense feelings but transformed by music, these lines, sang through her soft but powerful voice became the glue that mends the broken hearts. Everyone can find a piece of themselves in Rose’s song.
The Road is about the first time of heartbreak, facing one’s inner self inside a half-imagined world, somewhere between heart and mind, navigating disillusioned realization of loneliness and heartache and finding light at the end of the tunnel. Rose weaves those intricate, tender and hardening feelings into poignant soundscapes, bringing a diverse musical influences taking hints from Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Bon Iver, Coldplay, Lana del Rey, Adele and Brittany Howard. With lyrics that read like a poem and a diary, she takes listeners on a journey with no destination but a new beginning.
"Without the dark the sun won't have a reason to rise and the moon won't shine without the light of the sun." — “Alone” from The Road.
Neo & Neo “Behind the Walls”
Neo & Neo might have made memories palpable with “Behind the Walls.” His road-worn voice breaks at the right point, tearing a piece of love from the walls of the past—just a moment longer to stay in its warmth. Neo & Neo surprise you just how much can be expressed through one song. Only a few minutes have passed, but it feels like you have aged years along with it, traveling back in time and stealing what has slipped away from the tip of your fingers. You just know there’s a novel worth of story behind this song.
Neo & Neo’s rich and expressive vocal performance touches hearts, deep in the thoughts of a love well-preserved in memory. From the very first note, Neo & Neo slows down time with an introspective finger-picked guitar like a slow dance down memory lane. You’d want to savor every second. Then the depth of the cello meets the steady counter-clockwise guitar that turns back time. Through a mysterious, fantastic omission of a swirl, the track sweeps you off of the present and drops you into the grand tunnel of time. Technology, love, and fantasy intertwine together, becoming something much bigger than each of them.
But the time-travel tale doesn’t just tell you the story of a man who loved a girl. It encourages you to think back over your life and asks yourself the same question. If you had the chance to go back in time, when would you go? Who would you see again? and who would you see again? Through this spiraling sonic mirror, it’s a reflection that reaches deep into your soul—your most desired longings, regrets, love and joy. “Behind the Walls” creates a genuine moment of contemplation.
Read our interview with Neo & Neo and learn more about his big plan for the future!
Punk Head: I love how you wove time travel into the song's storytelling. What inspired you to write the song in the first place?
Neo & Neo: The song was inspired by many things, for example, the ‘90s tv series Buffy The Vampire Slayer had a specific episode where demons come into town making it impossible for everybody to talk and scream, so they could quietly steal your soul. The song, obviously, was also inspired by a “time machine,” one that I saw at a rollercoaster fair. It made me think about what I would do if I had a time machine at hand, and I imagined I'd go back in time to meet a certain someone earlier, to spend more time with her. So, ultimately, it's a love song, maybe even the most meaningful one I've ever written.
PH: What did you enjoy most about making "Behind the Walls"?
Neo & Neo: In the original recording of the song (release: 2018) I played all the instruments myself, and it was more of an acoustic version with some digital elements as well. Bringing the song alive again with the whole band, was a new and very soothing experience. Moreover, it was a pleasure to work (again) with Nico Schmied, who is one of the most talented people in Switzerland creating music videos and live sessions for artists.
PH: What is your creative vision as a band?
Neo & Neo: “Behind the Walls” (Live at Hardstudios) is the first out of three live sessions. The next songs will come out in May and June. Further than that: I go where my heart leads me. I have a feeling that things will get a bit more exotic, and a bit harder, too.
PH: Who are your biggest influences?
Neo & Neo: The National, The Slow Show, Mazzy Star, Coldplay, Band of Horses, Black Sea Dahu.
PH: What is the one thing that you’d like your fans to know about you?
Neo & Neo: I started to play Guitar with 12, because I wanted to be able to play Cohen's Suzanne
The Idle Silence “Close”
“Close” immediately summons the commotion and chaos energy of punk. As if hailing from a different era, the raw, primal clashing of threats, sweats, and passion is very much alive in The Idle Silence’s latest single. But there’s also a kind of disruption that rips the song in two pieces while keeping going on. The jarring dissonance is hard to ignore. It’s done intentionally no doubt, through the bending of a note, stretching to test the extreme.
There are broken glasses in “Close,” edging out in all directions. It's shocking and bizarre, vibrating between semi-industrial and semi-noir, messed up in acid and 90s rock. It’s haunting to hear the vocals floating illusively somewhere separate, like the acid sun above and outside the rest of the song. That slight hint of bizarreness makes you question everything hanging above a noise drone.
“Close” sees The Idle Silence reunite with the old punk rock sound, but in fact, they are reinventing it into something completely different. They break the old sounds and repatch them, which makes things shift a little. And that intricate asymmetry is enough to separate them from all others.
If there’s a punk revival coming, The Idle Silence would be one you don’t want to miss.
Read our interview with the marvelous four-piece band from Somerset below!
Punk Head: I love how you mend nostalgia with modernity in "Close." Is the track inspired by a particular influence?
The Idle Silence: There's definitely an element of old punk in there. I was listening to a lot of Buzzcocks, Damned, Slits, Skids and all of that sort of stuff at the time when I wrote it. But also newer bands like Screaming Females & Speedy Ortiz, who I really love. They're always on my rotation. So I suppose that's why it sounds that way.
PH: Was there any challenge that you encountered while making the track?
The Idle Silence: The biggest challenge for me is always singing in front of other people. It's fine with the rest of the band, and luckily our producer was very easy to be comfortable around. Other than those hang ups, it's a pretty straightforward song. Sort of.
PH: What is your creative vision as a band?
The Idle Silence: That's a very deep question. I suppose we want to people to like our music without watering it down at all. As songwriters we have a pretty even split between being very personal and taking on the big subjects and as a band we are on the line of being quite accessable and catchy and horribly noisy.
PH: How is the music scene in Somerset?
The Idle Silence: It's a big county (for the UK) but quite sparse and pretty rural for the most part. There are healthy scenes in the bigger towns and some really nice venues. We've met and played with some great bands here and we love playing anywhere people want to see us, really.
PH: What would you like to tell your supporters out there?
The Idle Silence: Thank you for listening to our music, all the streams and downloads mean a lot to us. And there's plenty more where that came from.
Love Ghost “Jealousy”
From the very first note, the deep moody guitar riff portals you to Love Ghost’s darkest confession. “Jealousy,” like the town that holds his love and dreams, pain and demons, drops into a world with heaviness in the air. His mind and heart flow through the guitar strings, bleeding out the notes.
With lyrics that read like diaries, confessional and real, we see Jealousy, the red-eyed monster that calls on the demons, luring you into a thorny path of hurt and pain. Old insecurities and PTSD become the lost river of the abandoned town, forming a transparent, almost innocent yet unbreakable barrier. The melodic guitar backdrop that always floats behind shapes the looming yet suffocating feeling everyone who’s been in the same mental space could easily relate to.
But relatebility isn’t the only thing to take home with from “Jealousy.” Though setting its scene in a mental ghost town where everything seems to be lost, it offers a way out. Love Ghost throws noise-infused punches in clashing percussions. He seeks to break the walls that keep him a prisoner. He fights and bleeds, and he will not stop until all the demons are gone. The chorus offers such catharsis that it almost feels therapeutic. He’s fighting back, and it gives you hope.
Inspired by real-life struggles, “Jealousy” is a rather personal song from Love Ghost. Known for wearing his hearts on his sleeves, songwriter Finnegan Bell pours himself into his music. “Jealousy” has his heart beating all along. Though darkness lurks in the background, there’s not a time you’re alone.
Read our interview with Love Ghost and learn more about the stories behind “Jealousy.”
Punk Head: I love how vulnerable and cathartic "Jealousy" is. I can hear that it's a rather personal song and writing a song like that and putting one out can be nerve-wracking for some. How has the process been for you?
Love Ghost: Thank you, I’m honored that you listened to the song and that you enjoyed it. And yeah, I always get really anxious before I release a song especially one that is on the more personal side. But no matter how anxious I get before exposing myself in a more vulnerable way, I always have to remind myself that shedding light on these issues gives a voice to a lot of people that are suffering from similar mental health issues that I have. Or have gone through similar situations… I mean music always functioned as a diary for me, and if my expressing my emotions can help some people along the way, then it’s all worth it.
PH: What was your favorite moment in making the music video?
Love Ghost: Shooting in the rain room was really fun, creative wave is awesome to work with, they’re super creative. But yeah the rain room scenes felt super epic and the flashing lights made it feel like I was fighting a battle of sorts. A battle with my demons.
PH: What motivates you as an artist?
Love Ghost: Honestly, it’s less of a motivation at this point as it is an urge, I have the urge to write music daily, I’m an imagination fiend. If I don’t write a new song every couple of days I start to feel really dull. But I’m also motivated by the sense of identity from being a music artist and the adoration I could potentially receive.
PH: Who are your biggest influences?
Love Ghost: Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Lil Peep and Juice Wrld to name some. But honestly, I listen to a wide range of music, I also find inspiration from artists such as Bob Marley and the Sex Pistols. I was also get influenced a lot by various poets like Charles Bukowski and Edgar Allen Poe. That might sound cliche but I’m just trying to push myself out of my comfort zone and find new influences.
PH: What is the one thing that you’d like your fans to know about you?
Love Ghost: I feel like what I’d want my supporters to know about me is that I’m honestly just hella relatable.
Fish And Scale “Stay!”
There’s magic in Fish And Scale’s music. Something mystical and powerful. Something that touches your forehead gently, but immediately stirs an epiphany. “Stay!” is a song of magic, but in truth, the song is naked compared to the ones that are lusciously dressed and heavily layered. Fish And Scale, in its unfiltered voice, open an honest dialogue with the inner self. Underneath his modest words, finger-picked guitars flow through gently.
There’s nothing very special about it, if you look at the surface. In fact, at first, you’d find it too simple. But when the music starts, the camera focuses on Fish And Scale, aka Roland Wälzlein, and there’s that moment when he gazes into the camera, the stripped-down transparency and nakedness in his eyes just shock you, and that’s exactly what it feels like listening to his music.
It’s an honesty that is hard to explain, but with Fish And Scale, you’d let him peel off the pretense layer by layer. There’s a profound trust between the listener and the singer, and it doesn’t come easily. It hardly ever happens. But you’d let him shake you up, give you goosebumps, draw your soul back into the moment. And his words, intense as they are humble, is nourishing as water to fish, and sharp like a sword. “Stay!” does something to you. In its humble escalation toward the catharsis, a tearful epiphany is at its climax. With songs like “Stay!,” you walk away feeling whole.
Read our interview with Wälzlein where we talk about his music journey.
Punk Head: I love the richness of your song and how it speaks to the audience with authenticity. Is there a specific real-life event that inspired "Stay!"?
Fish And Scale: All my songs are “autobiographical.” I write about the things I experience in me. “Stay!” is about a dialogue between the mind and an all-knowing inner entity. We are all connected inside this infinitely wise version of ourselves.
PH: What do you like the best about this track?
Fish And Scale: When I listen to this song I always get goosebumps :-) Especially at the end when it comes to a final peak.
PH: What was your favorite moment in making the music video?
Fish And Scale: I did the video with a good friend of mine. we shot the movie in his recording studio. His little kid was sometimes with us, it was fun.
PH: Can you tell us more about you as an artist?
Fish And Scale: I grew up in Franconia (a southern part of Germany). As a six-year-old child, I survived a serious heart operation. This life-and-death experience stayed with me all my life. Existential questions are reflected throughout my lyrics. A turning point was my first stay in a “silent retreat”, which completely changed my understanding of life. „Stay!“ is also inspired by that.
PH: What is the one thing that you’d like your fans to know about you?
Fish And Scale: I thank all the people who listen to my music and are inspired and touched by it
Seßler/Zeeb “Wenn”
Seßler/Zeeb shares an eclectic new single “Wenn,” following their 2022 debut album. “Wenn” sees a smash of jazzy, funky elements intertwined in the familiar and unmistakable mix of pop and hip-hop. With biting lyrics and cranky wordplay, Kurt Seßler and Werner Zeeb are taking their creative journey to the next level. “Wenn” certainly shows their versatility in creating music that isn’t bound by any specific genre, but rather by spontaneity and creativity.
With an infectious swinging groove, punchy percussions and captivating melodies, “Wenn” is a song with fierce spirit and a vivid sonic palette. Not afraid of grit and street, the charming track sparks exciting new energy in the pop duo’s song catalog.
Hailing from a small town in southern Germany, singer-songwriter Seßler and multi-instrument/producer Zeeb are long-time friends turned collaborators. Their project Seßler/Zeeb started in the summer of 2021 and is in its fierce blooming time.
Stay tuned with the eclectic duo and see what they are up to next!
THORN “We Are Happy (Of The Pale Criminal)”
“We Are Happy (Of The Pale Criminal)” sets in an uncanny portrait of extremes, dissociation and sensual experimentation. The track is a gateway into THORN’s unorthodox songwriting, sinking into the connotation of modern life. Fueled by unfiltered grits and dirt, driven by nerve-splintering noisescape, “We Are Happy” sees piercing percussions and eerie vocals bottle up with explosive illusive sonics. Like the mirror of the craze between drug-infused, sexually-driven encounters and a born-to-die mindset that gives up on the search for a deeper meaning, “We Are Happy (Of The Pale Criminal),” in its raw, spicy confrontations, gives you something to think about.
THORN’s music is all written from the perspective of mental health awareness, exploring the relationship between mind and action. His songwriting, as reflective as it is transparent, always has a deeper poetic monologue that runs parallel to the music. The soundscapes thread out from there, delving even deeper into the mind, resulting in those unimaginably vivid sonics that tells a horrid and oftentimes, unbearable truth.
“We Are Happy,” but are we? “We Are Happy,” but where are we? You can’t help but think about these questions while listening to the track.
Read our interview with THORN, where we talk about his REAL music influences and the distance he’s gone to create “We Are Happy (Of The Pale Criminal).”
Punk Head: I love your authenticity and aesthetic in "We Are Happy (Of The Pale Criminal)." Can you tell us a little more about the track?
THORN: It took a lot out of me. The vocal take was done at about 4am in pitch black. I was just sitting there choking myself, drinking shots of whiskey and spitting.
PH: What do you like the best about this track?
THORN: The grit, the dirt, sounds mean. I like.
PH: What is your creative vision as an artist?
THORN: The change & renewal of mainstream metal & rock. Unifying the alt under one banner.
PH: Who are your biggest influences?
THORN: If I'm honest, the people closest to me. Luca Centro has been the biggest musical influence in my life. I tend to answer Nosferatu or Jesus as a joke, but yeah, my friends are the real answer.
PH: What would you like to tell your supporters out there?
THORN: You can be the change you want to happen. You are more than you think. You are worth everything this world has to offer. Be the spark, to light that flame. Big love x
thurane ‘: authentic worship :’
Born out of a time of struggles and hardships, : authentic worship : elevates life to inspire. Bleak soil bears the most resilient souls, but it seems that it might have been God’s imprint in the sultry and energetic soundscapes. Unlike any worship album you’ve heard before, : authentic worship : sees a vivid, heartfelt blend of Rock n Roll and worship music. Drawing inspirations from the 60s and 70s rock, God’s messages are embedded in the soaring guitars, mesmerizing hooks, and infectious vibes, bursting modern pop sensibilities. Like Imagine Dragon meets The Beach Boys meets The Beatles. Sonically, at the core, the songs in : authentic worship : are genuinely good.
Thurane gives you a different worship experience. Through the highly captivating hooks that move listeners to sing and chant along, they are brought closer to the presence of God and to each other. God is with you, no matter where you are. : authentic worship : is a genuine celebration no less, filled with love and passion and nurtured by the best of rock n roll. Meaningful messages and introspection offer something to everyone who listens.
“Worthy” centers on the mantra of “you are worthy.” The beautiful rock ballad is a love letter to its listeners—to whoever feels lost and needs to hear the message, “Worthy” offers a shoulder to cry on and a home to feel safe again.
Inspired by Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose,” “It’s All Good (ATAGIY)” evolves around a timeless groove that draws back to the 60s and the late 70s. Being the first track on the EP, the song certainly surprises you with just how good the music really is. But what really touches you is the unity and love that this EP evokes.
Thurane is a contemporary worship music artist based in Youngtown, AZ. : authentic worship : is the debut EP from the artist. Released during the global pandemic, what initially seemed to be a setback turned out to be a blessing. Just like many obstacles that originally posed a threat to producing this EP, they eventually worked out the way it meant to. Read our interview with Thurane and learn the stories behind : authentic worship :.
Punk Head: I love the retro, classic sound of : authentic worship : and the message it seeks to deliver. Is there a real-life event that inspired you to write the EP?
Thurane: From 2016 to 2020, I had a multitude of struggles including my mother-in-law's health struggles (she's still hanging in there!). As a part of multiple, challenging issues; I was driven to my knees in prayer, praise, worship, and submission to God. This is where the heart of authentic worship lies: our willingness to worship in ever deeper, meaningful ways when struggling with life's complications, issues, and failures. While not one specific real-life event inspired the EP, it was a multitude of issues that prompted me to complete and release the record.
PH: How did everything come together?
Thurane: It took a spotty, patchy mix of multiple: producers, engineers, studios, musicians, photographers, art designers, mastering engineers, 3 distributors, 2 publishers & a CD manufacturer to get this project out! A multitude of mishaps along the way...it was a miracle, if small, to get it completed and released. Now to finish the Worship Servant album...
PH: Which song do you like the best and why?
Thurane: "It's All Good (ATAGIY)", the opening track, is my personal favorite because the central theme of the song is inspired by Romans 8:28 and turns the oft-used "its all good" blow-off phrase often used on its head. Even bad is ultimately turned into good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose, hence, all things are good in Him (and to us) despite our misfortunes and failures.
PH: What is your creative vision as an artist?
Thurane: I am particularly inspired to bring the melodic sensibilities of music from the 1930s to the early 2000s and bridge them to current production & music styles of today. With that, I'd like to explore more minimalist approaches from just a voice with one guitar or piano accompaniment; to full-blown symphonic, theatrical orchestrations enhanced by banks of guitars. Along with that, lyrics express more unique ways to glorify God and inspire believers to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.
PH: What is the one thing that you’d like your fans to know about you?
Thurane: I want them to know that despite my own sins, faults, hypocrisy, and contradictions—I really am a true believer in Jesus—and that they would be blessed by likewise following Him despite their own sins as well.
Saeed Habibzadeh “Lost Men”
Lost Men tells the destruction of love in the hands of violence and wars with music. Setting in the fast-paced world of mafia, the film music record marks the very first from the multi-talent composer, Saeed Habibzadeh. With soundscapes filled with love and tears, the epic album wonderfully and painfully choreographies the tenderness and innocence of love with a melancholy undertone. Under the stormy sky is a world filled with violence and danger, however precious the love is, is destined for a tragic end. Lost Men reminds you of Shakespeare. These violent acts have violent ends.
With a heavy heart, Habibzadeh leads the listeners into the belly of the underworld with an untold story about love. Lost Men is hard to shake off. Its blood-stained melodies are haunting as the story they hold together. The tear-jerking album is richer than any soundtrack you’ve heard. Rather than music for film, it’s Habibzadeh‘s own creation of film music.
The composer draws listeners into each scene with intricate changes, signaling moments of suspense and danger. “Assassination” paints the heaviness and suffocation of a crime. Yet, the composer tells it with great compassion. It’s the hint of tragedy that hovers over the cold, dark soundscapes that reminds you the consequences behind death—the loss and grief of loved ones, and a life that never sees its potential. Beyond the tragedy and love, Habibzadeh reminds you of that.
Even in tender and magical moments, such as “Falling in love” and “The first kiss,” the saddened undertone is unescapable. It’s the mournful theme of Lost Men. It echoes in the church organs, in the wailing and weeping of the strings and brass. There are so many emotions in the melodies, being carried out amongst different instruments.
Habibzadeh did a great job bring out the different shades of light and darkness with orchestration. Brass family, the warm, glorious horns, in Lost Men, paints a retro, fallen sense of glory, mixed with guilt and secrets. The emotive and contrasting strings, are the ghosts of suspense and tragedy in this album. While the woodwinds paint the magic and fragility of blossoming, though short-lived dreams. The instruments are hardly unfamiliar in Western films. But they remind us of composers in the romantic period. Tchaikovsky, in particular, is a name that comes into mind.
More words are being said though no word is spilled. That’s the magic of Lost Men. “Wait for me at home” and “Nightfall,” the two pop ballads, co-written by Susann Offenmuller and Habibzadeh, then concludes the story with stunningly touching songs that are destined to stuck in everyone’s head after listening. Like “Young & Beautiful” in The Great Gatsby, they are woven into the core storytelling and aesthetic of the project that feels like it can’t live without. Stick to the end, and the end will surprise you.
Read our interview with Habibzadeh and learn more about the stories behind Lost Men.
Punk Head: I love how haunting and cinematic Lost Men is. The album is meant for a mafia film. Can you tell us more about it?
Saeed Habibzadeh: The album Lost Men is my first experience composing a film music album. It came out of my heart full of love and longing in the spring of 2023 in the mountains of Switzerland. I produced it in my own studio and funded it myself. Maxima Manni took on the technical challenges. Although she is only 16 years old, she has done true engineering work and realized everything technically with a lot of commitment and love.
The album Lost Men tells the story of the destruction of the love and dreams of children and young people by power and rulers and their wars. It tells how gentle and fragile love is and that without love nothing makes sense.
The album Lost Men wants to touch people in their hearts and remind them of their oldest wishes and longings. We all long for peace, harmony, joy and love.
It is time for violence to end and for us all to live in friendship and harmony.
PH: Which song do you like the best and why?
Habibzadeh: I feel deep love for all the tracks on this album. All of them tell episodes from the story. But I am most touched by the last piece "Wait for me at home". This composition often made me cry because it expresses my deepest feelings and makes them musically audible. Susann Offenmüller sang the song as well as the other single "Nightfall" with such intensity that it took my breath away again and again. "Wait for me at home" sings the soul of the young woman who lost her boyfriend through violence. She sings to him through the stars and tells him to wait for her at home in paradise since this world has not allowed a union in love.
PH: Can you tell us more about you as an artist?
Habibzadeh: I am 60 years old and I was born in Tehran, the capital of Iran. When I was 14, I saw fanatical Islamists destroying the country. When I was 16, Iraq attacked Iran and war broke out. At the age of 18, I was a soldier in the war myself and had to experience for two years how ugly violence is. At 21 I left Iran forever and lived in Germany until the end of 2021. Since the end of 2021, I have been living in Switzerland.
I never learned or studied music. Everything I know, I have taught myself or I have brought it along from other incarnations. I also compose classical music. My first 11 works, including my three symphonies, two piano pieces, orchestral pieces like “Capriccio The Heavenly Celebration”, “Summer Festival Waltz and the Magic of the Elves”, “Swiss Waltz” and my first organ piece "Toccata and Fugue for the Glory of God" as well as a duet and a quartet have been published.
My next project is a film music album for James Bond and will be dedicated to the great Daniel Craig because he inspired me to do it (more information at www.saeed-music.com/en).
My heart also beats for wisdom and healing people. I have published 6 books, with another 10 in preparation (more information at www.saeed.eu/en).
PH: Who are your biggest inspirations?
Habibzadeh: My biggest inspiration is my own heart which inspires me and gives me music. After that, it's Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich.
PH: What is the one thing that you’d like your fans to know about you?
Saeed Habibzadeh: I want to answer two questions with a big smile when my final hour has come: what do I leave behind in this world and what do I take with me?
I am open to any collaboration and I warmly welcome everyone.
Whatever happens, time has taught us that love is always the answer, the solution and the way. Give love wherever you can. Even an ocean is made up of little drops that give water!
Cheree ‘Factory’
Oakland’s loudest and best industrial band Cheree launches their long-waited debut EP, Factory, on Friday. Known for their ear-splitting, roof-lifting live performers around town, the four-piece band only surprise more. Experimental, highly distorted, abstract but fueled by their unapologetic attitudes , Factory is a post punk masterpiece. Released through Cherub Dream Records, their harsh, mechanical yet raw sounds go beyond aesthetic.
“I never did sleep well in this society,” lead singer Vanessa screams in the opening track “A Choice.” Coming from the same thread of their brutal, unbending sounds, Factory speaks up against capitalism, a topic that hits closer to home for men and women who live in the same reality. Irony, angst intertwined with sarcasm and hard truth, their volume is turned all the way up.
Exhilarating and unstoppable. Just as the machines and blood-sucking capitalists that exploit and overrule. Cheree’s unmistakable sounds speak louder than words. Instead of a collection of songs, Factory is more like art that rebels against those in power and represents the voices that need to be heard.
The Pink Nostalgia “Space & Time”
The Pink Nostalgia draws you into an introspective, emotive space with “Space & Time.” Setting its scene in an indie pop soundscape, haunting melodies meet mesmerizing atmosphere that leaves an unshakable aftertaste that lingers in your ears. It’s hard to forget the mood and aroma in “Space & Time.” And the length of the song is barely enough for the conversations and thoughts that it evoked—How something so deeply immersive can also be so refreshing? The answer is obvious: you need to put this song on repeat.
The Pink Nostalgia has a gift in songwriting. It appears to be something simple, but luscious and deep to the point it’s almost intoxicating. Taking cues from The 1975, The Japanese House & Christine, the Queen and such like, Joseph James, the brain and heart behind The Pink Nostalgic has already earned the support of many. He’s been featured on BBC Introducing and UK Indie Artists and will be heading out on his headline show with a band at Strongroom Shoreditch in April.
“Space & Time” marks the first single released from The Pink Nostalgia’s upcoming EP YOUTH & OBSERVATION, offering fans a teaser preview of what has yet to come. The EP is scheduled to be released on May 19.