For the uninitiated, the Tom Waits catalogue can seem rather daunting. Not only is Tom blessed with a sometimes challenging voice, but his albums have seen the legendary singer songwriter’s style change over time. His earliest albums present him as the ultimate bar room balladeer with a relatively clean voice; over the course of the 70s, his delivery becomes more ragged, more obtuse even, despite the core style of the music remaining the same. Into the 80s, Tom began to channel Kurt Weill and his music became more interesting, more rhythmic, a world away from the man who gave us ‘Ol’ 55’. By the end of the 90s and beyond, Waits almost sounded like a man working within a universe of his own: fans were as likely to hear him shouting his way through something in German to a musical backdrop deserving of a pirate shanty as they were to hear him storytelling at the piano.
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Listen: Kabuki Love introduce ‘The Wolf Dance’
During the dark days of the 2020 lockdown, Kabuki Love released the ‘Psychosomatic’ EP, which featured ‘Spare Me’, a recording that dug deeply to revive a strong influence from 80s goth bands. Throughout the number, the guitars adopted the huge ringing tones of ‘Dreamtime’ era Cult, and rhythmically, everything pulled from the more commercial elements of Bauhaus to create something that felt like the ultimate throwback. In many ways, this became one of the band’s flagship tracks, capturing a toughness and a melodic edge that worked together to showcase musicians who clearly understood that things didn’t need to be overly complex to be interesting.
KURT BAKER – Wonder Woman / When Fantasy Calls
When Kurt Baker relocated from Maine to Madrid, he embarked on a very important musical journey. Not only did the formation of The Kurt Baker Combo allow him to experiment with a slightly rougher garage rock sound compared to his US based KB Band, but he also stretched out further, collaborating with power poppers Bullet Proof Lovers, sharing some excellent punk as a member of the K7s, and even appearing on recordings by Spanish punks Neuvo Catecismo Católico. In all, it was a massively prolific time.
TINY MAGNETIC PETS – Astralux EP
Back in 2025, Irish synth poppers Tiny Magnetic Pets released ‘Harmonious Grey’, a four track EP that combined some strong songwriting chops with some very familiar sounding 80s and 90s inspired sounds. The lead track, ‘Low Places’ mixed the band’s poppier instincts with a slightly sinister, low sounding synth riff that created a hook that worked even more directly than any of the band’s lyrics.
LOVE GHOST – Anarchy And Ashes EP
Love Ghost’s ‘Revolution Evolution’ is a pleasingly chunky affair. The basis of the arrangement has a common root with some of the more industrial sounds from the Metropolis label, but the band uses that heavy, mechanical sound to build something more interesting. In places, a heavy, grinding riff touches upon a Rob Zombie-ish intensity, which coupled with a vocal that sounds like a distant relation of Marilyn Manson, creates something that lovers of 90s sounds will love. The real interest here, though, comes from the track’s quieter elements, in particular, a verse that couples a drawling, almost sneery vocal with a twangy guitar tone that owes more to a cinematic style. With a few of these elements heavily treated to bring a darker mood and with the melodies occasionally underscored by sirens, this creates a brilliantly unsettling listen and a perfect way to kick off the ‘Anarchy and Ashes’ EP, the LA-based act’s seventh release.