Welcome to the Autocracy, welcome to the end times, welcome to the second age of fascism. Fuck you Trump, fuck you Starmer, fuck you Musk, and fuck you Farage.
Still, got to laugh haven’t you. We’ve made it to another week and another Tracks of that there Week. Might see you next week, or i might have been arrested or worse, cancelled by the conglomerate that owns God Is In The TV Zine. Fingers crossed.
The August List – The Duplex Phase
Why we love it: because make no mistake about it, this is good. The band is The August List. The song is ‘The Duplex Phase.’ The former is husband and wife duo, Martin and Keraleigh Child. The latter is the lead single from their six track EP, Sun Pinned which is due to be out 7th November on Ghost Sky.
‘The Duplex Phase’ takes its lyrical inspiration from Alan Resnick’s horror short This House Has People In It where everything is not as it appears to be. As the band explain, “The song is a wish to disappear into the ether to evade anxiety, toxic folks and toxic situations. Who hasn’t wanted the floor to swallow them up on occasion? But, in the end, the desire to connect with another person who can help you stare down this desolation is a strong pull back into the world. So it is a kind of happy song, despite all evidence to the contrary.”
And when talking about what is and what should never be, the musical reference points could well include a distant nod towards Led Zeppelin and sounds that should otherwise only be listened to in the darkness just before the dawn. (Simon Godley)
Midlake – Days Gone By
Why we love it: because walk, don’t walk, just dance. If you are James Lance, that is, and you are listening to ‘Days Gone By.’ On the video that accompanies the song – the latest single from Midlake’s eagerly awaited sixth studio album A Bridge To Far out 7th November via Bella Union – the Emmy Award-nominated actor skips along the sidewalk and across the crosswalk in euphoric abandon.
It is then little wonder to know that Trent Crimm, the character that James Lance plays in the comedy-drama, Ted Lasso, sports a Midlake T-shirt in one of the episodes of this popular American TV series.
It is a beautiful song from a beautiful band and there will be ample opportunity to bag your very own Midlake T-shirt when the band from Denton, Texas come back over the Atlantic next year for a run of live dates in the UK and Europe. (Simon Godley)
Lucy Kitchen – In My Corner
Why we love it: because this is so warm and open-hearted, this being Lucy Kitchen’s latest single ‘In My Corner,’ which was released last Friday via her own Bohemia Rose Records and Make My Day Records.
Lucy Kitchen is a British folk singer-songwriter based in Romsey, Hampshire and is already forging a powerful reputation for herself as someone who musically is “exploring profound concepts of grief and loss, drawing inspiration from lyrical poets, nature, the seasons, and the art of creating beauty out of difficulty.”
Referencing conversations she had with her late husband Stephen, and talking about the new single, Lucy Kitchen says: : “We used to sit up and have these big life/death chats as we knew he didn’t have long to live at a certain point. I remember one night having a really big one about what I was going to do and me chucking out all these slightly crazy ideas and him just saying that he wanted me to really live my life and do whatever I wanted. A lot of this song comes out of that and has become one of my favourite tracks on the album.”
On this evidence alone, there is a raw, emotional honesty to Lucy Kitchen’s songwriting, a trait that is complemented by her assured self-possession and personal resilience. It is hard not to be moved by this song. (Simon Godley)
Hannah Frances – Life’s Work
Why we love it: because ‘Life’s Work’ is a wonderful distillation of existential possibility. It is a riot of colour, trombone, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, cello, piano, and Hannah Frances’s remarkably expressive voice. When talking about the latest single to be taken from her forthcoming album, Nested in Triangles – due out October 10th via Fire Talk – the intuitive composer, vocalist, guitarist, and poet says:
“‘Life’s Work’ is a haywire and whimsical exploration of familial rupture and the impacts of growing up in a dysfunctional home. Featuring arrangements by Daniel Rossen of Grizzly Bear) and trombone by Andy Clausen, there’s a touch of theatrical gallows humour to this song as a musical juxtaposition to the interiority of pain that I am narrating. Learning to trust in spite of everything is our life’s work.”
‘Life’s Work’ is virtuosic. It is varied. It is vital. It is the sound of an artist both ahead and on top of their game.(Simon Godley)
Mari Iskariot – Witte Rock
Why we love it: Maria Iskariot is a Dutch-language band from Ghent, who are described as “a mess of noise and emotion for anyone who’s danced the Waltz of the Hopeless more times than they’d like to admit.” Their debut album ‘Wereldwaan’ (“World Delusion”), set for self-release on October 31st.
Their new single Witte Rook“ (“White Smoke”) is, in their words: “a victory for losers, an attempt at forgiveness, swallowing, biting in your own lip and saliva that tastes like iron”. It’s vital, fractured, utterly visceral, from drum breakdowns and stabbing riffing that have echoes of post-punk, to searing, scorched-earth primal screams of Helen Cazaerck and guitars that sound like a violent, upcoming storm crashing into the delusion and chaos of 2025. Imagine if you will the Dead Kennedys, Bikini Kill and L7, detonating in a garage and you may have some idea of how unstoppable this sounds, It’s frankly fantastic.
Formed in 2022 by front-woman Helena Cazaerck and guitarist Loeke Vanhoutteghem – who first bonded over language and the DIY ethos at a literary festival – the band found its full shape with the addition of drummer Sybe Versluys and bassist Amanda Barbosa. What began as a personal outlet quickly grew into a collective voice: part panic attack, part poetic pamphlet, part riot – but with tenderness, too. The band doesn’t break things (there’s already enough broken); they build, scream, whisper, and hold space. The name says a lot:
Maria Iskariot fuses the sacred (Maria) and the damned (Judas Iskariot), pointing straight to the band’s fascination with moral tension, contradiction and collapse. That duality runs through everything – in their sound, their lyrics, and their presence. They make music about growing up, feeling lost, confronting complicity, and trying to find slivers of hope inside the overwhelm. It’s aggressive and intimate, messy and meticulous, playful and deeply serious. (Bill Cummings)
The Altered Hours – Turn Away
Why we love it: The Altered Hours recently released their new single ‘Turn Away’ via Pizza Pizza Records. It’s the latest glimpse into the band’s eagerly awaited self-titled third album, which will now arrive slightly later than planned on November 7th, following a short production delay. Written in a flash of inspired imagery, irredescent and addictive ‘Turn Away’ pairs frenetic guitar textures with raw, reminding one of elements of the Jesus and Mary Chain sound careering into a melodic boy/girl dynamics that reminds me of the Pastels. There is a flash of inspiration here but also a vulnerability. It sounds like a shot of realisation in the dark. “The sound is something we’ve played with before on earlier albums,” vocalist/guitarist Cathal MacGabhann says “With this one I wanted it to feel effortless, like we’re totally at home in our own sonic world.”
Their new album, is a magnetic body of work recorded straight to tape with producer Julie McLarnon (New Order, Lankum, The Vaselines), and one that captures the raw immediacy and sonic chemistry of the Irish band. The Altered Hours album preview available HERE
“For me, this track really captures a lot about what we’re aiming for with this record sonically,” says vocalist/guitarist Cathal MacGabhann on ‘Turn Away.’ “We wanted the vocals to really pop out – to be honest with the listener and not hide any personality. We did this track in two takes and just really leaned into trusting who we are as a band.” (Bill Cummings)
Tulpa – Let’s Make A Tulpa!
Why we love it: Tulpa recently released their new single “Let’s Make A Tulpa!” on Skept Wax. A hooky, excited pop song that sounds like a bottle of pop that’s been shaken up a really fun melodic treat that hides something maybe a bit sinister under the bed. The insistent guitars, two-stepping percussive jitterbug and playful melodies shots, remind one of girl bands, 90s guitar groups and according to the press release should “encourage sober people to throw themselves around their living rooms. “
The Leeds based band, released the new album Monster Of The Week is out on 28th November, Meanwhile, in the creative hotbeds of the UK’s DIY festivals and indie venues Tulpa are quickly gathering a loyal following. They have recently supported Throwing Muses, Pale Blue Eyes and Bug Club and will be playing a series of headline gigs in October and November 2025.
What is a Tulpa? “It’s a mythical being manifested into existence through the act of concentrated thought, like an imaginary friend brought to life, but (sometimes) scarier…“
Tulpa consist of Josie Kirk (vocals, bass), Daniel Hyndman (guitar), Myles Kirk (guitar) and Mike Ainsley (Drums), and are based in Leeds. Daniel was lead guitarist and songwriter in esteemed post-punk band Mush. Tulpa are nothing like Mush, and yet… all the energy, ambition and inventiveness of that earlier group are still here: it’s just that the creative power has been diverted into the service of a set of pop songs: songs that are in love with melody. Josie Kirk’s irresistible vocal delivery seals the deal. Their new album was recorded by Jamie Lockhart (The Cribs, Mush, Drahla), the first to be produced at his new studio at Lamigo Bay, in the Highlands of Scotland. (Bill Cummings)
