Suicide Squeeze US Vinilo y CD

Review: Blackwater Holylight sacrifice their latest EP 'If You Only Knew' to the Suicide Squeeze gods, providing an intermezzo of cosmos and sludge. A chthonic dark psych explosion if we've ever heard one, we hear metal, shoegaze, and psychedelia culminate to an iconoclastic crunch point, as strange auraic statues of Cthulhu shatter before our eyes, evoking the god beast in actuality, not just representation. Lead track 'Wandering Lost' hears the band tear up constellate skies, as producer Sonni DiPerri shapes the track's many shifting structural tides, evoking the many emotional turmoils and stretching-thins of life; Sunny Faris (vocals, guitar, bass) further emphasises its point, that is, to embrace the inequitable unknown.

Review: Austin-based psychedelic rockers Holy Wave are back with their sixth studio album following 2020's Interloper. If you're already hip to their sound you won't need any head re-adjustment to get into the opening title track on Five of Cups - it's a dreamy yet powerful suite of ascending riffs and hypnotic diversions shot through with wistful intrigue. The gauze maintains as the album unwinds, although there are hidden depths to be explored in the second half as Mexican psych duo Lorelle Meets The Obsolete lend their touch to 'The Darkest Timeline' and Estrella Del Sol feeds into soaring closer 'Happier'.

Review: L.A. Witch is back with a marked evolution in their sound that pulls in aspects of garage rock and post-punk while exploring existential themes of love, devotion and subservience. Recorded in Paris, the trio of Sade Sanchez, Irita Pai and Ellie English push their craft to new realms with icy instrumentation and introspective lyrics. Tracks like 'Icicle' channel early goth vibes while '777' delves into fatalistic passion. The album also, we're told, explores the symbolic connection between women and dogs with themes of sacrifice and loyalty. All this makes it rather menacing yet oddly romantic, so DOGGOD revitalises the band's trademark sound while taking them into darker territories with haunting overtones.