Over the last decade, the Greek duo Selofan, consisting of Joanna Pavlidou and Dimitris Pavlidis, have garnered attention for their distinctive blend of darkwave, post-punk, and ’80s synthpop. Their music has created a unique niche for them within the international music scene, fueled by their artistic integrity and continuous evolution.

The band’s spellbinding new single, Sticky Fingers, is a pulsing bittersweet synth-driven coldwave culled from their upcoming seventh album, Animal Mentality. The song has a cinematic, Jean-Michel Jarre vibe, with an icy, spiky, and ominous sound that gives it a whiplash feeling. It is a classic car accident death disc song in the tradition of Leader of the Pack by the Shangri-Las, Carroll County Accident by Porter Wagoner, Jan & Dean’s Dead Man’s Curve, but with a new wave twist. The lyrics describe a tragic car journey through the snowy Alps, filled with youthful joy and music, which ends in a fatal crash. The initial bliss turns to sorrow as the icy roads lead to a devastating catastrophic collision with fate, taking a life and leaving a haunting memory of loss. Evocative descriptions and sensory details, like the tactile “sticky fingers” and joyriding to Joy Division, enrich the atmosphere of the story.

Anyone who has gone on a road trip can easily envision the situation and put themselves in their place. The emotional landscape shifts dramatically throughout the song, however, encapsulating the shock of loss and the enduring weight of grief…we are suddenly confronted with a keen awareness of the fleeting nature of joy and the profound depth of solitude that follows tragedy.

Helmed by the keen eye of Tassos Gkoletsos, the video unfolds the tale of tragedy with a raw, unfiltered lens, plunging us into the world of a band of spirited friends, their lives brimming with unbridled joy and reckless decisions. It’s this stark contrast between their zest for life and the looming shadow of despair that strikes a chord, crafting a warning that’s as jolting as it is poignant—a masterful cautionary tale.

Watch the video for “Sticky Fingers” below:

Animal Mentality marks a milestone in Selofan’s career, marking more than a decade of musical innovation and growth. As Selofan continues to evolve, they remain at the vanguard of darkwave, pushing boundaries and exploring the depths of the human psyche through their haunting melodies and poignant lyrics.

Their seventh studio album is out April 10, 2024 via Fabrika Records.

Pre-Order Here

Follow Selofan:

• Instagram
• Spotify
• YouTube
• Bandcamp

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Their self-titled debut LP takes the listener on a mesmerizing journey, adorned with unique beauty and performed in the enchanting Greek language. Stream or purchase Jovana’s debut LP here.

The album is available in limited edition neon pink and classic black vinyl, providing fans with a refreshing and dreamy escape into a synthwave universe.

Follow Jovana:

• Instagram

The post Greek Synthpop Project Jovana Debuts video for “MHXANH” appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

The festival’s line-up features some of the most promising and renowned names in the dark music scene. Fans can expect to hear the likes of Molchat Doma, Lebanon Hanover, Selofan, Rue Oberkampf, Harsh Symmetry, Philipp Strobel, and Bad Hammer. With such an impressive array of artists, the festival promises to be a haven for fans of these genres.

Headlining the festival is Molchat Doma, a three-piece band from Belarus who have been making waves with their gloomy post-punk sound. They are set to perform an exclusive German show, and fans of their music eagerly anticipate their performance.

Joining Molchat Doma is Lebanon Hanover, the Swiss-British duo known for their melancholic, dark-wave sound. The band’s music is characterized by dreamy synth arrangements, somber melodies, and haunting vocals, making them an excellent fit for the festival.

Greek dark-wave duo Selofan, German dark synth outfit Rue Oberkampf, and, coming all the way from California, the rising star of the darkwave scene, Harsh Symmetry, are also set to perform at the festival, providing a diverse range of sounds for attendees.

The festival’s lineup also includes DJ Philipp Strobel,  head of the prominent German label Aufnahme + Wiedergabe, and Italian Island’s Bad Hammer, who is known for their electro-punk sound.

The Muffathalle in Munich, a popular music venue, is the perfect location for the Grey Scale Festival. The venue’s impressive sound system and spacious layout will ensure that the festival’s attendees have a fantastic time.

In summary, the Grey Scale Festival 2023 promises to be an unforgettable night of music that will attract fans from all over the world. With an impressive lineup of renowned and up-and-coming artists, this is a festival that you do not want to miss. So mark your calendars, get your tickets, and prepare yourself for an unforgettable night of dark-wave, post-punk, and synth music.

Tickets are on sale now.

Order Here

Artwork by Branca Studio

The post Grey Scale Festival 2023 Announces Molchat Doma, Lebanon Hanover, Selofan, Rue Oberkampf, Harsh Symmetry, Philipp Strobel, and Bad Hammer appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

Regarding the video, with one can’t help but imagine the mad carnival daydreams of Jodorowsky’s Santa Sangre, the band explains:

“Nichts means nada means nothing and we are not participating in this video. This is the story of Fauno Omar. He was at our concert in Tijuana, Mexico back in 2019. We only met a few minutes after our gig and then we received a picture of him dressed as a harlequin, a persona we always felt attracted to. This video is a strictly DIY visual project of authenticity and high-energy creativity, it is the first one Omar ever did totally on his own. He shot it in the streets and special places of the wonderful city of Tijuana, he created all make-up looks and costume designs, he managed to set up a fire performance inside a public bus, he danced in an abandoned pool in front of the goddess, he mirrored himself next to the steel-border-fence by the Pacific, dividing the U.S. from Mexico. Omar is still in Tijuana going through the difficult task of surviving as an artist divorced from the mainstream. The canary flew over to the U.S. during the shootings of this video and is now part of the American fauna.

Thank you Omar for your faith, this video is dedicated to you and to everyone in search of the fulfillment of their dreams.
Couldn’t have done it without our secret weapon Dimitris Chaz Lee, who edited it like all our previous works.”

Watch the video for “Nichts” below:

Partners in Hell is out now!

Order Here

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The powerful Self Sabotage, featuring drums by Mike C. Sharp (Uniform), is a poignant and catchy anthem about finding beauty in the depths of negative emotion.

The creative synergy between the multi-instrumentalist members Kadri Sammel (Bedless Bones), Richard Powley (Telepathy), and Bruno Russo, the trio melds their individual punk, hardcore, and electronica backgrounds, defying genres and forging their own style. While their groovy riffs and crashing percussions draw influences from Wipers, Dead Moon, Health, and Godflesh, Sammel’s beguiling vocal melodies are dressed with the undertones of Depeche Mode and Primal Scream.

“We have an imperative to create new sounds by blending sounds that would not normally be combined and messing with the fabric of people’s reality to make them question what they are hearing,” says the band’s producer and collaborator, Ben Greenberg (Uniform, Black Marble, Bad Breeding, VR Sex). He describes Deathsomnia’s blending of subtle industrial elements into guitar-driven songs as “cyberpunk,” and a welcomed break from current popular darkwave aesthetic tropes.

“What I’ve noticed in the past year is that people are looking for something new, they just don’t know what it is yet. ​There’s a huge space now for us to push things creatively to find new spaces that have either been ignored or misunderstood or simply did not exist yet in people’s minds. I think that Deathsomnia is very much a part of that,” adds Greenberg.

Watch Self Sabotage here:

“The stripped-down remix definitely reveals a new visage of the song,” says singer Kadri Sammel. “I love the minimal, scattered drums on this one. The haunting play of harmony and dissonance keeping you observant and the solemn atmosphere turning it almost into a funeral song rather than your usual ‘dance floor remix’.  Having Selofan collaborating with Deathsomnia is an honour and something we take with pride as they are very important people in the scene. Not only with Selofan’s music but also with all the work they do with their own Fabrika Records.”

Listen to the Selofan remix of “Self Sabotage” below:

Deathsomnia’s highly anticipated  Self Sabotage EP features a Swans cover and artwork by Dwid Hellion (Integrity). The record was mastered by Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Ghostmane, Code Orange).

Self Sabotage is out now on Isolation Rec. via a limited edition of 300 bone with oxblood splatter vinyl. Order the record and other merch via the links below.

• Evil Greed (Europe)
• Deathwish Inc (North America)

The remix is available on a free / donation basis, and the band will have an exclusive limited shirt available through Bandcamp only.

Follow Deathsomnia:

• Instagram
• Spotify
• Bandcamp

The post Industrial-Punk Trio Deathsomnia Debut Selofan Remix of “Self Sabotage” appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

Alex’s Picks:

It was a tough call to narrow down this year’s best-of list. My own personal top 5 is effectively a tie, with each release bringing its own unique and exceptional mood to music playlists this year whether it be experienced through one of the numerous virtual club nights, or through listening to alone as a cathartic way to pass the endless social distancing hours of this beyond surreal year.

Choir Boy with their second studio album Gathering Swans proves they are one of the most talented bands around today, sounding something like if Jimmy Someville were to front The Cure circa 1983 to 1987, or Scottish post-punk band The Wake, but even that description does not do the band justice, as they conjure a heavenly sound all their own. The album’s three singles “Complainer”, “Toxic Eye”, and “Sweet Candy” are absolute perfection, along with the deeply melancholic ballad “Nites Like This”, a song which was released as a stand-alone single preluding the album to come last year.

Riki, the solo moniker of musical matryoshka Niff Nawor, is the best new artist this year with her brilliant self-titled debut. The album, a melange of ethereal, synthpop, and Italo Disco permutations, showcases the creative evolution Niff has developed since her vocal debut whilst playing keys and backing Deathrock act Crimson Scarlet’s Chelsey Crowley on their cover of Joy Division’s Interzone back in 2014. Despite the fact that Riki’s lead single “Napoleon” is sure to pack dancefloors when they open post-covid, “Earth Song” is where the record’s songwriting really shines, along with the Prokofievian “Strohman”, and romantic dreamscapes saturating the tracks “Spirit of Love”, “Come Inside”, “Know”, and “Monumental.”

If it were the 80s, Philadelphia’s synthpop duo Korine seem like an act that would either be on the roster of MUTE, or featured on the soundtrack of a John Hughes film. With the album’s singles “Cast”, “Fate”, “Cruel”, and “Cold Heart”, Trey and Morgy create heartfelt synthpop perfection and teenage anthems for the era of synthwave nostalgia.

Belarusian post-punk trio Molchat Doma are in the middle of a meteoric rise in popularity worldwide, spearheading what some have called “Russian Doom”, aka post-punk and coldwave produced from young bands of the CIS (formerly the Soviet Union). The band have recently been signed to the prestigious NYC label Sacred Bones and released their third studio album Monument. The album features three fantastic singles: the dark and hypnotic soundtrack to the somnambulant masses, “Не смешно” (“Not Funny”); the synth-pop driven “Дискотека” (“Discotheque”); and haunting Victor Tsoi/KINO-esque post-punk gem “Ответа нет” (“No Answer”).

NYC’s post-punk stalwarts Bootblacks, after nearly a decade in existence, recently signed to Canadian label Artoffact Records, joining the ranks of Kaelan Mikla, and several other artists on our best-of list this year. The resulting album Thin Skies, produced by Actors’ Jason Corbett is saturated with the warm reverb sounds of the 80s, propelled unrelentingly by some of the most talented musicians in Gotham’s underground music scene.

Albums:

Choir Boy Gathering Swans

Riki S/T

Korine The Night We Raise

Molchat Doma Monument

Bootblacks Thin Skies

Lebanon Hanover Sci-Fi Sky

Nothing The Great Dismal

Spectres Nostalgia

Houses of Heaven Silent Places

Selofan Partners in Hell

House of Harm Vicious Pastimes

Fearing Shadow

Death Bells New Signs of Life

The Glass Beads Therapy

Otzi Storm

Profligate Too Numb to Know

EP/Singles:

Martial Canterel Horizon Ltd.

Secret Shame Dissolve b​/​w Pure

Rose Garden Funeral Party At The Stake

S. Product Suicide Beat

Altar de Fey And May Love Conquer All

Frank’s Picks

In 2020, I was all over the map. I spent much of the year delving into other genres, exploring long-forgotten favorites, and trying to balance a new way of life alongside my usual listening habits. While the pandemic put a halt to live shows, I did spend a lot of time on Twitch, spinning records as well as watching bands streaming live sets, trying to connect anywhere I could. In the end, it was all about familiarity, reaching for those records that feel like worn-in sweaters and losing myself in them all over again. Less nostalgia, more comfort. Let’s just say I listened to a lot of Cranes and Harold Budd.

That said, there was quite a bit of excellent music released this year. Actually, quite an insane amount. I’d like to chalk a lot of it up to the pandemic itself, inspiring bands to record and release, but you know as well as I that most of these records were completed long before COVID became a global concern. In all due fairness, this year would have been one of the strongest in some time by any standards, and to romanticize or normalize the idea of pandemic creativity or inspiration through trauma is concerning to me as a fellow musician.

As for my personal best-of list, I wanted to give a shout out to a few excellent releases that don’t quite qualify for the site, but nonetheless deserve mention. If I’m being honest with myself, (and with all of you) my favorite record of the year was Hum‘s comeback record, Inlet, which dropped out of nowhere and is just as strong as anything they’ve ever done. Another “off-brand” favorite that deserves a nod here is Fiona Apple’s confessional Fetch the Bolt Cutters, which I spent little actual time listening to, but every moment was poured over in full. On the ambient spectrum, William Basinski’s Lamentations is as gorgeous as anything he ever released, and the 1-2 punch of Nine Inch Nails‘ latest Ghosts installments were an early (and free) pandemic treat. I’d also be foolish to neglect Anna Von Hausswolf‘s All Thoughts Fly, a stunning neo-classical/ambient work consisting of treated pipe organs. It’s a record I just discovered recently, but have listened to non-stop ever since.

I’d also like to note that it was nearly impossible to rank this list as it stands, especially in the upper echelons… I’ve also included ten standout EPs and some incredibly strong singles, as the format was in full effect this year more than any other I can think of in recent memory…

Albums:

Houses of Heaven Silent Places

Bootblacks Thin Skies

Soft Kill Dead Kids, R.I.P. City

Public Memory Ripped Apparition

Siviyex Siviyex

Riki Riki

Palissade Palissade

Aus II

Linea Aspera Linea Aspera LP II

Nothing The Great Dismal

Spectres Nostalgia

Choir Boy Gathering Swans

Ganser Just Look at That Sky

Private World Aleph

Gwendoline Après C’est Gobelet!

The Psychedelic Furs Made of Rain

Plastic Ivy Spots of Time

Deserta Black Aura My Sun

Ringo Deathstarr Ringo Deathstarr

Wire Mind Hive

EPs:

Martial Canterel Horizon, Ltd.

Ces Cadáveres Cuerpos Monstruosos

Ghost Cop End Credits

S. Product Suicide Beat

Profit Prison Dreams of a Dark Building

Rosegarden Funeral Party At the Stake

Entertainment Maggot Church

Andi Corpse to Corpus

Isolated Youth– Iris

MSEA I Turned Into a Familiar Shape

Singles:

Blacklist “Disorder b/w No Secret Islands”

Mueran Humanos “El Lago”

Secret Shame “Dissolve b/w Pure”

Bloody Knives “This is the Way You Burn”

Live For You “Gem1n1 Sun//Gem1n1 Moon”

Andi’s Picks:

When approaching the year-end list, my initial reaction was Wait? Did I even listen to new music? because I was certain the pandemic had driven me further down the road to nostalgia. I found myself reaching for music that was safe, the kind that I knew was predictable but satisfying. But when it came time to create this list, the realization came that there were many amazing albums—and especially EPs—throughout this long, drawn-out year that had provided a reprieve from the misery and despair of the pandemic.

The most surprising of all was the first Cabaret Voltaire album in 26 years, Shadow of Fear, made by Richard H. Kirk, without his bandmate (and vocalist) Stephen Mallinder. After groans and negativity from others about this decision to continue on under the moniker of CV, I was prepared to hate it. However, it was a charming, nearly uplifting, mix of the traditional CV sound that so many artists these days attempt to replicate and fail in doing so. Shadow of Fear is fresh, and it’s the best release of 2020. Other “old school” artists found their way onto my list as well, including the super experimental Einstürzende Neubauten Alles In Allem and Dive‘s last-minute contender, Where Do We Go From Here?—both of which retain moments of their past brilliance but also manage not to sound redundant. But perhaps that’s why I love them: they’re familiar.

It seemed that 2020 was about cross-pollinating genres, blurring the traditional outlines of goth, EBM, post-punk, or darkwave. There’s no better example than my two favorite EPs of the year: Dead Husband and Ces Cadáveres. Dead Husband’s Iguana has been a non-stop listen since it’s release pre-quarantine, which feels like more than a year ago at this point. Iguana easily crosses lines between dreamy Italo-disco and darkwave while Ces Cadáveres’ Cuerpos Monstruosos presented smart and angular synthpunk EBM with a melody (Visitor‘s LP, Technofossil does this incredibly well, too). The EP format leaves no room for mediocrity—and my top picks for the category understood that well. After such a tumultuous year, to look back on the music it generated since many artists completed their albums during quarantine, and what it will initiate for 2021 is exciting. I’m here for it.

Albums:

Cabaret Voltaire Shadow of Fear

Korine The Night We Raise

Riki Riki

Einstürzende Neubauten Alles In Allem

Visitor Technofossil

Dive Where Do We Go From Here?

Linea Aspera LP II

Selofan Partners in Hell

Стереополина (Stereopolina) Институт культуры и отдыха (Institute of Culture and Rest)



Lebanon Hanover Sci-Fi Sky

Vandal Moon Black Kiss

Otzi Storm

Aus Aus II

EPs:

Dead Husband Iguana



Ces Cadáveres Cuerpos Monstruosos



TWINS Great Barrier



Kris Baha Starts to Fall

Choke Chain Tactics

Profit Prison Dreams of a Dark Building



Altar de Fey And May Love Conquer All

Listen to our official Post-Punk.com Best of 2020 Playlist on Spotify:

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Through varied experimental synth-scapes conjured with keen ears for sound design, production, and theatrical aesthetics, Selofan rest not on the laurels of just creating highly danceable coldwave infused music, but with together with Joanna Pavlidou’s haunting vocals, and Dimitris Pavlidis’ throbbing bass guitar, and modular synth compositions, the pair conjure whole other worlds and narratives throughout each album and music video they create.

In the Spring of 2020, Selofan released the video for the hopelessly plaintive “There Must Be Somebody”, the first single from their forthcoming sixth studio album Partners In Hell, the followup to 2018’s widely popular Vitrioli LP.

Now, Selofan have unveiled the video for the album track  “Auf Deiner Haut”, which from German into English translates as “on your skin”. The song is both tactile and tenebrous with sensuously dark synth textures amidst howling German vocals that take flight like witches during a sabbat.

Watch the video below:

Partners in Hell is out digitally on October 20th, 2020, with the physical release shipping around Halloween.

Pre-Order Here

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The song continuing the old-school post-punk meets modern Darkwave and Goth, sees Ronny Moorings and Co returning to his roots, all the while embracing the sonic palette of the current generation of bands following in Xymox’s footsteps.

Filmed in Ireland, and directed and edited by once again by COX collaborator Zoe Kavanagh, the videostars Kathie Richardson, Cat Coyle, Paul Sparkes, and in an orange glow, explores the romance of two young women and all its fervent dynamics, all the while evoking all the unfettered passion of French New Wave cinema.

Watch the video below:

The “Lovers” features remixes by Hante, Actors, and Selofan, along with a 2020 version of the track “Going Round”, a song that originally appeared on the long-running Dutch post-punk band’s 1983 debut EP Subsequent Pleasures.

Find the record via Trisol in Europe, and Metropolis in the US.

Order Below:

• Europe
• North America

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The song’s unnerving synth arpeggio resembles the cry of birds stirring within the veil of overarching branches that filter rays of sunlight into a wooded grove where dark things are afoot.

On the sound and vision of this track, Selofan’s frontwoman Joanna Pavlidou explains:

“It’s always about the aesthetics and symbolism in our videos, yet the imagery doesn’t necessarily go along with any particular narrative—sometimes the story happens by itself. In this particular case, I imagined the visual effect of the discordant existence of a swan on a mountainside, and then that of a voodoo priestess performing a ritual in contrast to the warm daylight setting.”

“There Must Be Somebody” was directed and edited by Dimitris Chaz Lee, and filmed by Panagiotis Tsetsekos, and Alex Sinodinos. Drone shots provided by Aggelos Filios.

With tenebrous new romantic makeup provided by Chrisoula Aggelopulou, the video stars Selofan, Dimitra, plus a cameo Doruk from She Past Away.

Voodoo dolly provided by ChopiZ.

Watch the video below:

“There Must Be Somebody”, mixed and produced by Serafim Tsotsonis and mastered by Doruk Ozturkcan, is the first single from Selofan’s forthcoming new record called Partners In Hell, the followup to 2018’s widely popular Vitrioli LP.

The new album will be out via Fabrika next autumn.

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Regarding the collaboration, Selofan has stated:

“One of the best things about touring is crossing paths we like-minded people. A few months ago while we visited Istanbul with our friends from She Past Away, we came across a wonderful choreographer, artist, activist, person. Mehmet Sander is one of the few radical artists, a man who defied gravity, a living legend. We are grateful Mehmet for allowing our music to enter your world, where the only sound was the one of bodies hurtling down against the floor. This video features “Single space” Sander’s solo performance inside a wooden square, filmed 1994 in LA.”

Watch the video for “Ist Die Liebe Tot?” below:

“Ist Die Liebe Tot? is featured on Selofan’s fifth studio album “Virioli”, which features the tracks “I am Addicted”, “Give Me A Reason”, and more.

Order Vitrioli Here

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