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Avant! Records
House Of Harm 'Vicious Pastimes' Vinyl LP - Rosé
£21.99
Avant! Records
House Of Harm 'Vicious Pastimes' Vinyl LP - Rosé
£21.99
Boston is not exactly worldwide known for its coldwave or synth pop artists. Most of us know the Capital of Massachusetts because of its hardcore legacy that still continues today. And yet, just like flowers in a rugged land, here comes House Of Harm, a post-punk trio whose new approach to the genre was showcased on their two tape EPs, earning them a cult international following as well as an imposing line up of supporting gigs opening for Editors, She Past Away, Lust For Youth, and The Cure's Reeves Gabrels.
Nine songs where timeless melodies of Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me-era Cure perfectly match French coldwave moodiness, enhanced by Cocteau Twins ethereal airiness and Creation Records seminal shoegaze sounds. Just enough light reaches House Of Harm's base layer, giving life to infectious hooks and unforgettable mantras. The gritted core of every song makes expansive moments of release cathartic, always tethered by commanding drums.
Check out the very first single they wrote Isolator and its melancholic synth pop refrain, or Against The Night whose darkwave is as claustrophobic as One Hundred Years. Catch sounds almost like a Sarah Records hit, while the title-track hurls us back into the bleak realms of the Sisterhood.
Different influences but everything is just in its place simply because House Of Harm are the rare band where you can feel every individual member's devotion to each song's world.
RIYL: The Cure, Depeche Mode, A Flock Of Seagulls, For Against, Drab Majesty.
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Visit product page →Release Date: 22/11/2024
Here comes a new punk. If you know anything about me - as in Andrea, the record label's head - you know I have a thing for Oi since I was a teenage skinhead. And with Avant! being coldwave/synthpop label, our next release couldn't be more special.
No Filter are three children of the French region of Dauphiné, active in the black metal scene for 20 years through different projects.
They created No Filter with the aim of exploring punk, Oi and coldwave sounds.
They started by singing in English but after their first demo they decided to opt for French to improve their lyrics by singing in their own native language. Themes addressed in their songs are violence, hatred, party nights, the countryside, their roots and friendship. "Synth punk, bagarre et blousons noirs" in their own words.
Musically speaking they somehow fit in the current Cold Oi French scene (Bromure, Syndrome 81, Cran, Kronstadt) but they exaggerate the synth/wave element ending up sounding like one unprecedented, fresh as hell mix between New Order and The 4 Skins.
If you think you've heard this one before it's because one year ago they self-released a 10-track cassette called "Sans Filtre" which is exactly what we are pressing now on vinyl for the first time because this was simply too good to stay only on tape forever.
To make this even more special we have recruited Canadian multi-instrumentalist and artist Nakkabre (Conifère, Spleen, Vespéral, HazeHound) to do a brand new artwork and spice things up for the occasion!
Black vinyl LP edition limited to 400 is out 22 November.
Tracklisting:
1. Baston Générale
2. Un Samedi Soir Dans La Plaine
3. Sauvages
4. A La Mémoire De SHORT79
5. La Haine Nous Appartient
6. Frère De Coeur
7. Octogone
8. Ne Pense Pas À Demain
9. Le Suicidaire
10. A Balles Réelles -
Visit product page →Release Date: 25/10/2024
REPRESS! One mere year after their previous pitch-black sounding album Krypt, LA outfit Male Tears is back with a new full-length and – oh boy – everything is changed. The used-to-be duo is now a four piece with James Edward as the sole founding member remaining and apparently this new line-up helped the original vocalist to shapeshift again.
Remember their very first debut album from 2021 and those dark synthpop sounds? With their upcoming fourth album (in only three years), this American electronic-pop act from Southern California doubles the stakes once again and where Krypt was all about being goth and gloomy and disturbingly paroxysmal, Paradisco is somehow quite the opposite. Eight new tracks of pure italo disco, hi-NRG and freestyle bliss that pick up where the band left off three years ago to pursue much darker realms.
Now that the quest for darkness is done, it is time to polish our nails and dress up for the night-out cause there's more in life than feeling sorry for yourself. Yes you will need to cut out the deadwood but there is no change in stillness. So join Male Tears and their new arsenal of bangers and floor fillers with assertive titles such as Out of my Life, Regret 4 Nothing and Leave it Alone.
Get yourself wrapped up in one warm cover of delicate nostalgia and reborn romanticism, driven by sounds that pay homage equally to Miko Mission and Ken Laszlo, Lisa Lisa and Exposé and, well yeah, even The Smiths because say what you wanna say but you simply cannot not love The Smiths. Embrace the vintage vibes that organically propagate from this new record's grooves and get in the mood for this new course in full-on 1980's Pop.
Tracklisting:
1. Talk to Me
2. Leave it Alone (feat. Corlyx)
3. Sex on Drugs
4. Out of my Life
5. Where Is It?
6. He Wants Everything
7. Regret 4 Nothing
8. This Party Ends in Tears (feat. Digital Love) -
Visit product page →Release Date: 11/10/2024
Plastic Estate is a contemporary synth-pop act from Wales, UK.
With an onus placed on atmosphere and refinement, the duo evoke a rich palette of romance and lustre with their polished marque of pop music.
They have garnered support from the likes of Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran, KEXP and BBC Radio, and played sold-out shows with the likes of LA Priest, Home Counties, and Real Lies, as well as playing at large regional festivals like Ritual Union and Sŵn Festival.
Having previously released a 7” and LP with Avant! Records, they are now releasing their second album on 11th October with new tracks gaining critical acclaim being added to BBC Radio Wales’s ‘Welsh A-List’.
Their sophomore album hails a new era for the act; moving away from darker sonic roots, their sound has progressed to a brighter, more polished aesthetic with fresh influences from the ‘Hi-Fi luxury’ of West Coast Sound, and the gloss of 2010s Chillwave.
What's more, ‘Code D’Amour’ makes you wonder: What is Pop today?
For many years it has been synonymous with melody, harmony and emotions. These days it seems to be still about emotions but not very good ones, probably because the world is as ugly as it’s ever been, have you noticed?
But what about the fundamental role of popular music which is to represent and at the same time to celebrate and enforce the ties of social living? What about the good times?
Yes, there is a lot to be changed and to fight for but good vibes are not just for recreational use, they can literally build a sense of community among people. If you are looking for that kind of sound right now, you should look no further.
FFO: Talk Talk, Blue Nile, Spandau Ballet, Ian Broudie's Care, Small Black, Alan Palomo of Neon Indian, Wild Nothing.
Tracklisting:
1. Kind of Love
2. Open Eyes
3. Feeling Like Ours
4. Stay
5. Meet You There
6. Anymore
7. Speak to Me
8. 2000 Ways
9. Tonight
10. Helping Hand -
Four years and one pandemic after his latest Dreams Of A Dark Building EP, the herald of dungeon synth pop is finally back from his shallow grave. Life has not been gentle with Seattle-based solo producer Parker Lautenschlager over the past few years, imposing its unpredictability and forcing him to channel all the feelings that come with it into Profit Prison’s music.Visit product page →
It’s no surprise that his first full-length album Gilt marks one futher step towards the dark corners of italo / hi-nrg body music. Typical Profit Prison’s vocals and melodies, reminiscent of OG synth masters Kraftwerk, Giorgio Moroder and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, are still here, buried in the mix and waiting to haunt the listeners and drag them down in one sulfurous dancing spiral.
Lead single Sophia juxtaposes some weirdly camouflaged vocals with one heavenly chorus that seems willing to revive your fortunes while instead it literally sings "But I lost it all". A Matter Of Tact displays pop escapism over some throbbing minimal synth tension, Seven Words sounds like a throwback to 70's italo filtered through the eyes of a 21st century punk rocker.
Katalina has a rampant synth à la Carpenter climbing over a story of loss and Katalina, An Ascetic is a solo ramble reaching for the inner light on a carpet of cold keys. What's more, tracks got longer in Parker’s recent songwriting, with most of the songs being now five minute long and reaching peaks of seven minutes with the closing, almost progressive disco jam of A.R.P. (Amphetamine Research Project), nothing short of a lucid dream on the floor of Studio 54. Last but not least, the artwork by French artist Robin Roche delivers medieval-yet-punk graphic vibes to match just perfectly the sounds on this record.
Tracklisting:
Side A
1. Seven Words
2. A Matter Of Tact
3. An Ascetic
4. Avowal
Side B
5. Sophia
6. Katalina
7. Interment
8. A.R.P. (Amphetamine Research Project)
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