WKNC 88.1 FM - North Carolina State University Student Radio
| # | Artist | Record | Label |
| 1 | ISYTI | bootleg(+) | Dismiss Yourself |
| 2 | BIZCAS 10: TEN YEARS OF BUSINESS CASUAL | VARIOUS ARTISTS | Business Casual |
| 3 | NITEPUNK | HUMAN | HARD Recs |
| 4 | VHS HEAD | Phocus | Skam |
| 5 | JP | Machine City | Cyan Sun |
| 6 | ATLAS | air(#) | Self-Released |
| 7 | SIX IMPALA | Earwax | Self-Released |
| 8 | PAS TASTA | Good Pop | Self-Released |
| 9 | EARTHSOUNDLUVER | Create Resonate | Soundluver |
| 10 | ANNIVERSARY VOL. 10 | VARIOUS ARTISTS | Business Casual |
This summer, many bands I listen to have been hard at work putting out new releases. Here are my thoughts on three new singles by three great artists.
Vandal Moon’s newest single, “Heroine Dancer,” came out on June 30. The six-minute track seems handcrafted for the dance floor.
With weeping synths, industrial-style percussion and a sensual beat that thrums throughout, “Heroine Dancer” compels the listener to dance themselves.
A simple song about dancing and love, “Heroine Dancer” is something to get lost in.
Active since 2014, Vandal Moon describes themselves as “propagating our sound through the use of synthesizers, guitars, chant, tambourines, drum machines, vodka and psychedelics.”
While I don’t see “Heroine Dancer” as psychedelic or particularly enigmatic, it’s certainly a fun song.
The newest track by ULTRA SUNN, “Broken Monsters,” also came out on June 30.
The track certainly stays true to ULTRA SUNN’s signature style. With cold rhythms and echoing vocals, “Broken Monsters” is both danceable and sensual.
A contemporary EBM/coldwave duo from Belgium, ULTRA SUNN spearheaded their career with the release of the single “Night is Mine” in 2019. Since, they’ve released several singles and EPs.
While I won’t say “Broken Monsters” is their best work, as I prefer their second most recent release, “Kill Your Idols,” the track definitely succeeds in capturing the essence of ULTRA SUNN. I hope that as their career progresses, the duo experiment with other musical substyles.
Songs by Male Tears go one of two ways for me. Either I love them instantly, or they become something of an acquired taste.
“sad boy, paint my nails,” released July 7, appears to be the latter.
Self-described as a “California synth duo,” Male Tears started their career in 2021 with their first self-titled album. Since, they’ve made waves in the darkwave scene with their uniquely camp style.
While I like the sweet melancholy of the song’s melody, I find that the vocals straddle a thin line between lo-fi and simply poorly executed.
Songs by Male Tears typically feature stronger vocals. “sad boy, paint my nails” attempts to capture something more plaintive, which I appreciate in essence but find myself struggling to connect to.
While part of me likes the song, I’d probably skip it if it came up on my streaming feed. I anticipate that in the fall, which tends to turn my tastes towards the morose, I’ll have a greater appreciation for this track. However, right now I definitely see it as one of the band’s lesser releases.
Goth music isn’t just one thing.
It’s a common misconception, especially for those ill-acquainted with alternative music. People like to slap the label “goth” on anything even tangentially dark or edgy, even when it’s far from what goth actually is.
And while I don’t consider myself a purist by any means, nor find myself particularly bothered by the misattribution of “goth” by subcultural outsiders, I do think it’s interesting to explore what separates “goth” from “non goth” in terms of music.
Goth, like many others, is a music-based subculture. While the distinctive stylistics of goths are widely-known — all-black clothing, dramatic eye makeup, back-combed hair and intricate accessories — the music that inspired these looks is not.
“Goth” actually encompasses multiple genres of music. Several major genres are goth rock, death rock, post-punk and darkwave.
This week, I’ll be focusing on defining darkwave and recommending some excellent darkwave artists.
Darkwave music is melancholic and gloomy.
With heavily synth-based sounds and a slow to moderate tempo, darkwave tracks put a depressive spin on the ebullient tones of mainstream new wave while maintaining the high energy of post-punk music.
It’s quite literally a “dark” wave.
Darkwave emerged in the 1980s.
At the time of its development, “goth” referred exclusively to the realm of gothic rock. While contemporary circles generally accept darkwave as “goth,” the subculture of the 80s necessitated a distinction.
Thus, while darkwave artists drew inspiration from the same realm as gothic rock, their use of synths and strong new wave influence set them apart.
Darkwave rose as new wave’s shadowy counterpart, with lower pitches, slower tempos and a brooding atmosphere.
The so-called “first generation” of darkwave consisted of artists who simply put a darker slant on new wave.
Siouxsie and the Banshees, Depeche Mode and Soft Cell are some examples of this “first generation.”
As darkwave spread across the globe, it disseminated into various substyles such as ethereal wave, neoclassical darkwave and dark cabaret.
In the 90s, a second wave of darkwave artists emerged.
Artists from this period include Corpus Delicti, Lycia, Black Tape for a Blue Girl and The Frozen Autumn. Some of these bands drew inspiration from the otherworldly style of Cocteau Twins while others delved further into cultivating cold, deeply atmospheric sensations.
In the 2010s, bands like Drab Majesty, Boy Harsher, Void Vision and Kontravoid spearheaded another darkwave revival, building their respective sounds around the many substyles living under the darkwave umbrella.
Max Gowan is a North Carolina based artist who has released six solo albums. He has also worked behind the scenes filling a multitude of roles in the music production process for other artists.
This collaborative process has become a large part of his musical work. He has been credited on albums by groups and artists including fuvk, Infinity Crush, Laptop Funeral, and computer science. More about his work in Mixing, Mastering and Audio editing can be found on his website.
The best parts of Gowan’s recorded music would arguably be its unique atmosphere and sonic nuance. These qualities are a product of the artist’s attention towards each track in the arrangement/recording process.
In an interview with Max Gowan for the WKNC 88.1 FM podcast “Off the Record”, the artist explained,
“Technically I guess you could call my music singer songwriter, but it’s very focused on instrumentals. I am big into riffs if you will.”
Listen to the “Off the Record” here on wknc.org
This focus on creating interesting instrumentals is not just limited to the guitar. Rather, it is omnipresent in his recorded music. One of my favorite examples of his intriguing instrumentals would be the percussion on his track “Bad Breeze” off his 2017 album Far Corners.
The percussion consists mostly of a single looping sample that seems to be a recording of a single flexible object smacking against a surface.
The combination of the sound’s unique timbre, omnipresence and rhythm is uniquely alluring and strangely calming. During the song’s choruses, additional layers of percussion are added to create nuance in an otherwise consistent atmosphere created by the looping sample.
The unusual sound persists throughout the entire track until the fade out of the song begins.
Gowan’s focus on instrumentals has led to the creation of recorded music that is interesting and complex while remaining pleasing to the ear.
Max Gowan will be performing in Raleigh, North Carolina during Hopscotch Music Festival on September 9, 2023 at Moore Square. More information about the festival can be found on the festival’s website.
-Daniel Turk
| # | Artist | Record | Label |
| 1 | ANGELO DE AUGUSTINE | Toil And Trouble | Asthmatic Kitty |
| 2 | SHYGIRL | Nymph_O | Because |
| 3 | ASHER WHITE | New Excellent Woman | Ba Da Bing! |
| 4 | HOME IS WHERE | the whaler | Wax Bodega |
| 5 | MAMALARKY | Pocket Fantasy | Fire Talk |
| 6 | MCKINLEY DIXON | Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? | City Slang |
| 7 | PANCHIKO | Failed At Math(s) | Self-Released |
| 8 | PIXIES | Doggerel | BMG |
| 9 | YVES TUMOR | Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) | Warp |
| 10 | ALTERNATE LIFE FORCE | A.L.F. – The Initial Transmissions [EP] | Self-Released |
| 11 | BUILT TO SPILL | When The Wind Forgets Your Name | Sub Pop |
| 12 | BULLY | Lucky For You | Sub Pop |
| 13 | CAKES DA KILLA | Svengali | Young Art |
| 14 | DARKSOFT | Beigeification | Look Up |
| 15 | DEER TICK | Emotional Contracts | ATO |
| 16 | ELIJAH ROSARIO | Discovery After Death | Self-Released |
| 17 | FEEBLE LITTLE HORSE | Girl With Fish | Saddle Creek |
| 18 | KAMAUU | Lacuna & The House Of Mirrors | Atlantic |
| 19 | KARI FAUX | REAL B*TCHES DON’T DIE | Drink Sum Wtr |
| 20 | MAGAZINE BEACH | “Sunflower Seed” [Single] | Take This To Heart |
| 21 | MAN ON MAN | Provincetown | Polyvinyl |
| 22 | PARANNOUL | After The Magic | Topshelf |
| 23 | PURR | Who Is Afraid Of Blue? | Anti- |
| 24 | SOL MESSIAH | GOD CMPLX | Rhymesayers |
| 25 | SQUID | O Monolith | Warp |
| 26 | STEADY HANDS | Cheap Fiction | Lame-O |
| 27 | SUDAN ARCHIVES | Natural Brown Prom Queen | Stones Throw |
| 28 | VHS HEAD | Phocus | Skam |
| 29 | WAVEFORM | Antarctica | Run For Cover |
| 30 | ALFA MIST | Variables | Anti- |
| # | Artist | Record | Label |
| 1 | MAN ON MAN | Provincetown | Polyvinyl |
| 2 | BINKI | Antennae [EP] | Fader |
| 3 | ISYTI | bootleg(+) | Dismiss Yourself |
| 4 | ATLAS | air(#) | Self-Released |
| 5 | JP | Machine City | Cyan Sun |
| 6 | JUNE MCDOOM | June McDoom [EP] | Temporary Residence Limited |
| 7 | POOL KIDS AND POOL | Pool Kids // POOL [EP] | Skeletal Lightning |
| 8 | PALEHOUND | Eye On The Bat | Polyvinyl |
| 9 | BEING DEAD | When Horses Would Run | Bayonet |
| 10 | JPEGMAFIA AND DANNY BROWN | Scaring The Hoes: DLC Pack [EP] | Self-Released |
| # | Artist | Record | Label |
| 1 | KARI FAUX | REAL B*TCHES DON’T DIE | Drink Sum Wtr |
| 2 | MOKA ONLY | In And Of Itself | Urbnet |
| 3 | SKIIFALL | WOIIYOIE TAPES Vol. 2 – Intense City | RCA |
| 4 | BILLY WOODS AND KENNY SEGAL | Maps | Backwoodz Studioz/Fat Possum |
| 5 | LXVNDR AND TACHICHI | Found Money | Hand’Solo |
| 6 | SLY5THAVE AND JSWISS | Somebody’s Gotta Do It | Tru Thoughts |
| 7 | CAKES DA KILLA | Svengali | Young Art |
| 8 | KAMAUU | Lacuna & The House Of Mirrors | Atlantic |
| 9 | MCKINLEY DIXON | Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? | City Slang |
| 10 | FRESH KILS | Disclaimer | Urbnet |
| # | Artist | Record | Label |
| 1 | ZULU | A New Tomorrow | Flatspot |
| 2 | CARNATION | Cursed Mortality | Season of Mist |
| 3 | ACACIA STRAIN, THE | Step Into The Light | Rise |
| 4 | MOUTHBREATHER | “You Try to Die” [Single] | Self-Released |
| 5 | MEURTRIERES | “Rubicon” [Single] | Gates of Hell |
| 6 | KNOCKED LOOSE | “Deep In The Willow” [Single] | Pure Noise |
| 7 | BLACKBRAID | Blackbraid II | Self-Released |
| 8 | CURRENTS | The Death We Seek | Sharptone |
| 9 | DEVILDRIVER | Dealing With Demons Vol. II | Napalm |
| 10 | ELDER DEVIL | Everything Worth Loving | Prosthetic |
| # | Artist | Record | Label |
| 1 | ISYTI | bootleg(+) | Dismiss Yourself |
| 2 | BIZCAS 10: TEN YEARS OF BUSINESS CASUAL | VARIOUS ARTISTS | Business Casual |
| 3 | NITEPUNK | HUMAN | HARD Recs |
| 4 | VHS HEAD | Phocus | Skam |
| 5 | JP | Machine City | Cyan Sun |
| 6 | ATLAS | air(#) | Self-Released |
| 7 | SIX IMPALA | Earwax | Self-Released |
| 8 | PAS TASTA | Good Pop | Self-Released |
| 9 | EARTHSOUNDLUVER | Create Resonate | Soundluver |
| 10 | ANNIVERSARY VOL. 10 | VARIOUS ARTISTS | Business Casual |
| # | Artist | Record | Label |
| 1 | ISYTI | bootleg(+) | Dismiss Yourself |
| 2 | BIZCAS 10: TEN YEARS OF BUSINESS CASUAL | VARIOUS ARTISTS | Business Casual |
| 3 | JP | Machine City | Cyan Sun |
| 4 | ATLAS | air(#) | Self-Released |
| 5 | ANNIVERSARY VOL. 10 | VARIOUS ARTISTS | Business Casual |
| 6 | KOUEK | Downtown | Business Casual |
| 7 | VMRROBOTIC AND TURQOUISEDEATH | Fool’s Gold | Self-Released |
When I was eighteen, I lived near the beach.
Living in a coastal town was certainly interesting, especially at the end of tourist season. Watching well-off middle class families fill the beaches with garbage and watching long-time residents struggle under the brunt of property damage incurred by hurricane season definitely helped radicalize me.
It was a strange period. I spent most of it alone, and thus listened to an exorbitant volume of music. The following playlist is a compilation of some of my favorite tracks from my time by the beach.
Not all of these bands are actually surf punk, but they share a similar energy and style that embodies the experience of summers by the coast.
These three tracks certainly play on Bad Brains’ reggae influences, with softer vocals from lead singer H.R. and a slower, twanging melody. I personally recommend the “Omega Sessions” version of “I Luv I Jah” for its cleaner vocals and smoother audio quality.
Based in San Diego, Beach Goons delivers surf punk music with strong Latin influences. Their music captures the often melancholic liminality of living by the coast, with a sound that reminds me of summer humidity and fogged-up windows.
With a distorted lo-fi style, Meth Wax’s songs are consistently dazed, lustful and unusual. Though based in Athens, Georgia, Meth Wax maintains an ebullient sound that leads many fans to consider them surf punk (at least in spirit).
The Chats are a pub-punk band from Queensland, Australia. Their chaotic, disaffected attitude and rocking melodies make them a fun and youthful band with a sound that pairs excellently with summer drives through congested tourist districts.
With soft, indie-adjacent punk music, Jurassic Shark captures sensations of yearning, ephemerality and youthful excitement. Smoky lo-fi vocals contrast with clear, artsy strains of guitar.
“Coffee Talk” is a game released in 2020 that follows a visual novel format and tells a story of various customers that visit a late-night coffee shop in a Pacific northwest city populated by humans and a variety of fantasy races, including succubi, vampires, and elves.
The game requires the player to click through dialogue, with our playable chararcter being the shop barista, meaning you make characters drinks as you play.
Like any good coffee shop, your coffee shop has a great rotation of chill lofi hip-hop beats to carry you through late-night conversations with whoever may be visiting that night. The soundtrack was fully originally composed by Andrew Jeremy, the music director of Toge Productions, which is the studio that made “Coffee Talk.”
Although the game is fun and remains one of my favorite games, its soundtrack is truly the best part of the game. I can normally study with music on, but sometimes music with lyrics will make it harder to focus. The “Coffee Talk” soundtrack is my solution to finding instrumental music that does not leave me bored or annoyed.
The game has a 27-track album that only features one song that doesn’t fit in a chillhop category, that being “Gala Gila” (this song is more upbeat to match a climactic moment in the story). Every other song is calming and soothing in a way that makes me want to settle down in a cafe and write or draw with a latte nearby.
Some of my favorite tracks are as follows:
I haven’t played it yet, but “Coffee Talk 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly” was released in April, and features another full-length soundtrack by Andrew Jeremy that I’m very excited to dig into and add to my study rotation.
— bel$
