Tag Archives: stream

DUCK & COVER – No Hounds In The Cluster

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Between 2020 and 2025, Boston band Duck & Cover released a succession of digital singles and EPs that showcased their sometimes ragged, sometimes retro, often enjoyable rock sounds very effectively. The material didn’t necessarily reach beyond a cult audience, but the band’s various college rock and noisy power pop influences often struck a chord with those who stumbled across the band’s work.

2025’s semi-punky ‘Bored of The City’ was actually one of Duck & Cover’s finest numbers to date, and this didn’t escape the notice of Rum Bar Records. Taking the digital wares from that six year stretch and adding a previously unreleased nugget, they gave the material its first physical send off at the end of that year with the fourteen track ‘No Hounds In The Cluster’ – a collection that plays brilliantly as an album in its own right.

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STRAENGE – Filthy Microbes

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In the middle of the first pandemic lockdown of 2020, Japanese thrashers Straenge released their second demo, the ‘Thrash Medicine’ EP. Its five tracks demonstrated a brilliant, very technical approach to heaviness, often combining the speed of ‘Seasons In The Abyss’ era Slayer with the anger of early Kreator. On a musical level, the band sounded great. Vocally, things were a different matter: the material featured an ugly growl that fused the guttural edge of death metal with the power of hardcore, which, coupled with an obvious Japanese accent, made all of the lyrics inaudible. Assuming you could approach the material purely on its instrumentalists’ merits, of course, this underground band often sounded very cool.

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DOTSUN MOON – Moments In The Sun EP

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Dotsun Moon’s ‘Tiger’ album is an unmissable treat for lovers of 90s influenced sounds. Released in June 2025 and coming a full nine years after the previous full length Dotsun release, you could never accuse multi-instrumentalist Richard Fliel of hurrying his work, but you can hear the love that went into this long overdue second album from the moment you hit the play button. Taking in influences as disparate as Harold Budd, mid 80s Wire, ‘Disintegration’ era Cure and applying a liberal amount of his own style, Richard created a work that often felt familiar, but deep enough to feel like something that would ultimately grow beyond its (admittedly great) musical touchstones.

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Listen: Josaleigh Pollett shares genre-bending track ‘Radio Player’

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Josaleigh Pollett’s ‘Radio Player’ is a rather special recording. Its opening sounds throw the listener into a world of dark synthwave, suggesting something rich in atmosphere. It then takes a somewhat dramatic twist when Josaleigh adds a vocal that, at first, suggests they have a love of classic dream pop, before an increase in volume allows their voice to reach for something much bigger. Hitting a couple of soaring, notes, this presents a talent with a huge, natural sound, drawing the listener further into a world where Pollett’s love of almost cinematic sounds comes into its own.

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MYRIAD THINGS – Sanctuary EP

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In 2022, Myriad Things released two very strong but very different singles. ‘Let It Come Down’ set up an immediate groove, working a funk infused rhythm and bluesy guitar tone. With a heavier riff punctuating the verses, it was a track that was absolutely loaded with swagger. A couple of months later ‘10,000 Years Away’ presented their more melodic side, with a number that introduced a little prog/post rock guitar work which, combined with a wall of funky bass lines and soaring vocals suggested this was a band who could also feel very comfortable working with something a little more atmospheric. Having set themselves up a band to watch out for in the near future, they then didn’t actually release any more new material for three years.

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