New releases this week: Coldwave/Synth

Review: Throbbing Gristle co-founder and all round British experimental electronic institution, Cosey Fanni Tutti returns with 2t2, a new full-length set for release through her own Conspiracy International label. The new nine-tracker extends the tracked terrains of 2019's Tutti, blurring personal reflections on years of loss and upheaval into prosthetic electronic soundscapes. The record unfolds over two contrasting halves, one beat-driven, the other more introspective, yet it also keeps anchored to a certain ground point emphasising resilience and focus. Lead cut 'Stound' features overtone chanting, which Cosey describes as a way to channel inner strength: "allowing the sounds to permeate and soothe as well as create a sense of power."

Review: Electronic soul innovator Liv.e followed up her acclaimed Girl In The Half Pearl with PAST FUTUR.e last year, and it's now dropping on vinyl. The surprise seven-track project was made in just 24 hours and announced via a post on X. It's a lo-fi synthwave collection that betrays her genre-defying instincts and trades neo-soul smoothness for raw, hallucinatory energy. She bellows like a dancehall toaster and delivers fragmented narration over fuzzy, pulsing synths that echo Gang Gang Dance's experimental spirit. Is it an EP, album, or mixtape? It doesn't matter-PAST FUTUR.e is an unfiltered transmission from one of r&b's most inventive voices, and it's wildly unpredictable.

Review: Preston's Polypores looks asperse at the universe with Cosmically A Shambles. Known for his immersive modular synth compositions, Buckley now submits a bold step into rhythmically harder-driving territory, blending hypnotic polyrhythms and fuzz-dinked drum machines, all while retaining the hands-on, improvisational ethos that cornerstones his work; eschewing samples and presets in favour of tactile synth play. Preceded by his debut 7" lathe cut single 'Whorl', Cosmically A Shambles marks a thrilling evolution in the Polypores sound, still cosmic, but with a heavier pulse.

Review: We've all been party to solo material by seminal UK shoegaze sorts Ride's guitarist Andy Bell, but what about their bassist? Not so much. Well, that's about to change. Enter the brooding debut solo album from Ride's low-end maestro Steve Queralt. A largely instrumental affair, there's elements of shoegaze and darkly textured soundscapes. Plus there's guest appearances from more 90s legends: Emma Anderson (formerly of Lush and Sing-Sing) and Verity Susman (Electrlane, MEMORIALS) grace the album. Anderson sings on the pummeling lead single 'Lonely Town', which was launched with an aptly monochrome meditative montage of a music video. Given the power of this debut, we suspect this nine-song collection is the first of many solo albums to come, from a musician who has nothing to prove, but plenty to express.

Review: Silver Tears is the new project from Berlin-based artists Luca Venezia of Curses fame, and Damian Shilman of Skelesys. After debuting in 2023 with a standout track on Next Wave Acid Punx Deux, the duo returns with their self-titled full-length album and it features eight tracks of refined, beat-driven coldwave that are all layered to perfection. Deep bass, shimmering guitars, mechanical drums, and haunting baritone vocals. Blending dancefloor energy with introspective moods, it draws influence from 90s shoegaze and grunge. Their sound pays homage to the goth subculture while proving its continued relevance through a compelling mix of elegance, darkness and emotional intensity.

Review: One of the most legendary female producers in history of electronic music brings out her sixth solo album - not to mention her numerous seminal recordings as part of Throbbing Gristle and Chis & Cosey - and the first in three years. 2t2 is an intimate yet electrifying statement, a dualistic journey through rhythmic propulsion and meditative introspection across nine tracks entirely composed, performed and produced solely by Cosey herself. With 2t2, she expolores personal loss and global upheavalm transforming them into a defiant sonic odyssey, weaving raw energy and introspective depth together. The beat-driven tracks pulse with kinetic urgency, echoing her industrial and electronic roots, while the ambient passages invite deep contemplation. Lead single 'Stound' exemplifies this balanceiCosey's overtone chanting evokes resilience and catharsis, grounding the record in both personal and universal strength. 'Threnody' pays tribute to Delia Derbyshire and Andy Christian, weaving echoes of past creative dialogues into Cosey's present explorations. Even in its darker moments, there's a lightness, a refusal to succumb to despair, in evidende and Cosey seemingly embraces sorrow as a path to joy, a reminder that resistance and resilience are acts of creation. With 2t2, Cosey Fanni Tutti once again defies convention, crafting an album that is personal and powerful.

Review: This 2024 edition of Lament by Ultravox is a comprehensive, end-all-others 7CD + DVD deluxe edition expander including a (you won't believe) 72 tracks, with a newly remastered version of the album alongside a fresh 1980s-style extended remix. The seventh studio album by British new wave pioneers, Lament marked the final appearance of original drummer Warren Cann until the band's reunion in 2012 with Brilliant. But despite the name and the grievous context, the album was hardly lachrymose in sound, and it achieved much commercial success, owing to a prosperous prior experience with producers Conny Plank and George Martin, who drove its lush Chrysalis synthpop sound. Aforementioned remixes include contributions from Moby, Steve Wilson, Blank & Jones, and Midge Ure, while a newly mixed full concert recorded at Hammersmith Odeon in 1984 comes stapled in at the end. Mastered and cut by Phil Kinrade and Barry Grint at Air Mastering, London.

Review: An icon of electronic music for over five decades, returns to the legendary Wembley stage after 41 years with a live set that proves he’s still a force of nature. A Perfect Circle 2 is a full-scale sonic assault. Known for his futuristic sound and haunting synthscapes, Numan enhances these elements live with cinematic flair, turning the stage into a post-apocalyptic dreamworld. Drawing heavily from his most recent studio album Intruder, the set opens with the thunderous title track. He seamlessly blends new material with classics like 'Cars', 'Are ‘Friends’ Electric?' and 'Down in the Park', each delivered with stunning affect. Tracks like 'My Name Is Ruin' and 'A Black Sun' show his modern sound is brooding, heavy and powerful. What makes this release special is Numan himself: fully committed, his stage presence is commanding. Every lyric pulls the audience deeper into his world. The live arrangements enhance the studio recordings, especially on emotional moments like 'A Prayer for the Unborn' and the fragile 'Jo the Waiter'. This live album is a triumph and celebration of the unrelenting spirit of one of electronic music’s true pioneers.