Published on
May 2, 2025
Category
Features
Essential weekend listening.
This week’s rundown is by VF contributors Emily Hill, David Murray and James Hammond.
Annea Lockwood
On Fractured Ground/ Skin Resonance
(Black Truffle)
This third LP for Annea Lockwood on Black Truffle returns to Lockwood’s indefatigable explorations of sound and presents two recent collaborative works. As with 2022’s excellent Becoming Air/ Into the Vanishing Point, this one places a differing collaborative work on each side, with recordings made at Belfast’s peace lines with Pedro Rebelo and Georgios Varoutsos opening proceedings. Playing the walls of the Belfast peace lines as resonant structures, the sonic and conceptual resonance of the barriers is explored, before the flipside delves into Vanessa Tomlinson’s transfixing explorations of the bass drum. – JH
Peverelist
Pulse Decay EP
(Livity Sound)
Anytime a new Peverelist record is announced, a wave of excitement fills the air. This latest offering arrives with a taste of summer. The Livity Sound head honcho is an incredibly consistent producer, and his explorations into the Pulse series—launched in 2023—have been tantalisingly fresh. The Bristol linchpin leans into a slightly more mature style of bass music, edging toward the UKF sound, with echoes of dubstep’s past reverberating subtly and politely—especially evident on the closing track of this four-track 12-inch. – EH
NewDad
Safe
(Atlantic)
Galway sensations, NewDad, return with the follow-up to 2024 smash, Madra—the band’s debut record that expanded their dreamy sonic world beyond the dusky caverns of their previous releases. Safe continues to elevate, bringing their dreamy indie-rock sound to new heights. “Puzzle”, a stand-out track, joins lead single, “Entertainer”, in cementing NewDad’s place not just in the Irish scene but as international contenders. Still evolving but sounding more confident than ever, it’s a very exciting feeling, like they’re just getting started. – DM
Various Artists
Archipelago – Cosmic Fusion Gems From France (1978-1988)
(Isle Of Jura)
The Isle of Jura crew resurface some forgotten gems from the vault of the French language Archipelago, featuring a worldwide tracklist, a well curated selection of eleven tracks recorded and released between 1978 and 1988. This massive record lands perfectly in time for summer. A collection of cosmic fusion, all in one place, it is truly a hot property and includes two ambient tools alongside some slightly more otherworldly jams with a hybrid selection of instruments. – EH
Jenny Hval
Iris Silver Mist
(4AD)
The Norwegian experimental artist adds another wonderful record to her still-underrated catalogue. Iris Silver Mist began with scents, not sounds, when Hval immersed herself in fragrances to fill the sensory and experiential void she felt without live music during the pandemic. On these songs, Hval captures how scent, memory, and emotion often intertwine stunningly, floating evocative lyrics over the sometimes-lush, sometimes-delicate, soundscapes she’s come to be known for. Lead single, “To be a rose,” blossoms beautifully as it grows, slowly building towards its satisfying climax and setting the tone for the album’s mixed texture wonderfully. Park yourself with a cigarette and get into this record. – DM
Posuposu Otani
Posuposu Otani
(Self-released)
This LP lands as a first physical release for Posuposu Otani’s unique blend of open-tuned guitar, traditional throat singing and jaw harp. Known in Tokyo as a live performer since 2006, recent years living in Japan’s Kanagawa Mountains frame this collection of songs that set out a certain familiarity of guitar patterns before knocking things askew and into more curious zones with Otani’s throat singing and exploration of overtones. Far-wandering musical sensibilities that come in praise of careful mushroom foraging and the splendour of the natural world. – JH
quickly, quickly
I Heard That Noise
(Ghostly International)
Portland’s quickly, quickly (Graham Jonson) returns with the long-awaited follow-up to 2021’s The Long and Short of It. On I Heard That Noise, Jonson masterfully pivots and evolves his sound again—this time away from the melancholic indie-emo beats of his debut to bring us a stunning psychedelic indie record, layering his still-contemplative lyricism over lush and sometimes unpredictable instrumentation to paint us a vivid emotional world. – DM
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