New Release – RCRD LBL

June 26, 2026

June 26, 2026June 26, 2026 amy771937

Morphide Push Forward With Emotionally Charged Sophomore Album ‘Mental’

Latvian modern metal outfit Morphide are continuing their rapid ascent with the release of Mental, a powerful sophomore album that marks a significant step forward for the band both creatively and commercially. The release arrives as the group surpasses 7 million combined streams across digital platforms, further establishing them as one of the Baltic region’s fastest-rising heavy acts.

Since first emerging in 2019 with their debut single Mayhem, Morphide have steadily expanded their presence beyond their home territory, bringing their sound across Europe with performances in Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Their momentum accelerated with the release of debut album Anhedonia, created alongside producer Forrester Savell, known for his work with Animals as Leaders, Twelve Foot Ninja, and Karnivool.

Now, with Mental, the band appears focused on pushing its sound into even more ambitious territory. Mixed and mastered by producer George Lever, whose credits include Sleep Token, Loathe, and Thornhill, the new record combines progressive complexity with emotional depth.

Described by the band as their most personal work to date, Mental explores themes of grief, healing, and transformation through crushing riffs, atmospheric textures, and dynamic vocal performances. At the centre of the record is Of Healing, a five-track conceptual suite inspired by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ five stages of grief model, featuring chapters such as Denial, Anger, and Bargaining. The album also highlights the band’s range through tracks including Reborn, Epicaricacy, Save a Lie, and cinematic closer Take Me Back to the Other Side.

Stream Mayhem:

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June 15, 2026

June 15, 2026June 15, 2026 amy771937

THE ILLUSTRATED MAN Unveils Debut Album The Skin Of Time

Image credit: Georgii

THE ILLUSTRATED MAN has released his debut album, The Skin Of Time, on ILINX Records, building on the momentum of recent singles ‘Dance of Shadows‘ with Aquarius Heaven and ‘The Heart of Fire‘ featuring Robert Owens. Originally from Yerevan and now based in Dubai, he stands out as a compelling new presence in electronic music, drawing support from Adriatique, Bedouin, Township Rebellion, Richie Hawtin, and Joris Voorn, alongside airplay on BBC Radio 1 and Ibiza Global Radio. His productions are layered sonic narratives, balancing tension and emotion while maintaining a sense of intrigue. Each track is meticulously constructed to resonate physically and emotionally. In live performance, this energy translates into sets that pulse with movement and atmosphere.

The Skin Of Time reveals itself over eleven tracks, blending indie dance, melodic techno, and house into a vivid, immersive soundscape. The album forges its own path, pairing surging dancefloor energy with moments of quiet introspection. On ‘When Everything is Said’, THE ILLUSTRATED MAN and Sasha Carassi craft a hypnotic melodic house journey, where Carassi’s lush pads float beneath sharp, driving percussion. Swedish artist Jonatan Bäckelie steps in with a powerful vocal, elevating the track from a detailed instrumental to a song that truly comes alive.

THE ILLUSTRATED MAN had this to say: “Rather than following a traditional narrative, the album moves through emotional and existential states: from an initial condition of absence to the gradual emergence of rhythm and tension, ultimately leading to fragmentation and dissolution. Each track unfolds as a chapter in this evolving process, leaving the listener suspended in a space of reflection.”

The Skin Of Time Album Tracklist

1. A Body Without Marks

2. The Eye of the Abyss

3. Dance of Shadows with Sasha Carassi feat. Aquarius Heaven

4. The Ashes of King with Sasha Carassi feat. Mønölitio

5. The Heart of Fire feat. Robert Owens

6. The Last Drop of Memory

7. Broken Mechanism feat. Nat James

8. Hunters of the Dawn

9. The Hour of Wolve

10. The Roar of Silence

11. When Everything Is Said with Sasha Carassi feat. Jonatan Bäckelie

Stream The Skin Of Time:

Follow THE ILLUSTRATED MAN:
Instagram – Soundcloud – Spotify

December 4, 2025

December 4, 2025December 4, 2025 Mew Zikwryder

Plain Mister Smith Unleashes Loudest Single Yet: ‘Andy Warhol’ Out Now

(Plain Mister Smith / Image Credit: Sandra Lockwood)

December 2nd saw the release of ‘Andy Warhol’, the latest single from Plain Mister Smith on Amelia Recordings/Symphonic and the third taste of an album slated for spring 2026. Anyone who followed Canadian darkwave in the late ’80s and ’90s already knows him as the guitarist from Moev, one of the country’s crucial electronic acts. These days he holds down a chair as cellist in the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra, but the solo work under his Plain Mister Smith name is where the real shape-shifting happens. NPR Music, CLASH, Wonderland, Under The Radar, Earmilk, NOTION, METAL, and a growing list of others have all backed the project hard, drawn to the way he flips between introspective folk and full-on psych-rock without ever sounding forced.

The new track is pure electric charge. Leeroy Stagger delivers the lead vocal with a rasp that makes every line feel like a barstool confession, while Krystle Dos Santos answers back with soul-drenched harmonies that float above the fray. Hooky guitar riffs slice through a rhythm section that locks in and pushes forward, nodding at the open-road shimmer of War on Drugs and the loose genius of Pavement while staying unmistakably his own. The lyrics dissect that gap between projected cool and inner wreckage, classic Plain Mister Smith territory, only this time wrapped in amps turned to eight.

Plain Mister Smith revealed: “I met Andy Warhol many years ago at the New Music Seminar in New York. He was pretty chill and serene or seemed that way. He was quoted to have said “So What this, So What that”? which is about the most Zen thing you could ever say. ‘Andy Warhol’ the song, is about trying to be super Soto Zen, trying to be cool and so nothing phases you but really, you’re just a chaotic mess of a human, no matter what you do…….”

Stream ‘Andy Warhol‘ feat Leeroy Stagger:

Follow Plain Mister Smith:

Instagram – Facebook – X – Soundcloud – TikTok – Youtube – Spotify

October 22, 2025

October 22, 2025October 22, 2025 Mew Zikwryder

Textbook Maneuver’s ‘Adrenaline Slip’ Remix Rewires IDM Expectations

(Textbook Maneuver / Image Credit: Mary Keane)

Textbook Maneuver rolled out a sharp remix of ‘Adrenaline Slip‘ on October 17, 2025, via his Life Science Records, LLC setup—the core track powered his self-titled debut album from earlier this year. Michael Keane, the mind behind it all, hails from the Bronx with roots now dug into New Jersey soil, where he welds classical piano precision to a DIY punk drive. That combo’s pushed streams past 130,000, locking in buzz from IDM and experimental electronic heads through deep dives in Magnetic Magazine and Illustrate Magazine, alongside shoutouts from WWAM (We Write About Music), Brazil’s Music For All, and Good Music Radar. Keane taps a killer range, from Genesis‘s Duke-era sprawl and Rush‘s drive to Gary Numan‘s edge, The Postal Service‘s pop smarts, U.N.K.L.E.‘s grit, and Phantogram‘s bite, all funneled into IDM frameworks laced with ambient haze and prog electronica curves—tracks built for screen placements or pure headphone immersion. His stuff echoes Jon Hopkins and Nils Frahm in the build, with Boards of Canada‘s drift, Aphex Twin‘s glitches, and Squarepusher‘s bass twists fueling the improvisational core.

The remix of ‘Adrenaline Slip‘ keeps things straightforward at its core: beats that start loose and build into tight, glitchy loops, laced with synth stabs that punch through like quick breaths. Those subtle IDM ticks—think fragmented rhythms folding over each other—pull you into a mix of high-energy drops and cooler, drawn-out pads that ease off the gas. It wraps with a fast, almost frantic close that echoes drum ‘n’ bass without overcomplicating the ride, landing in a spot that’s tense yet oddly relieving.

Textbook Maneuver revealed: “‘Adrenaline Slip‘ was the song I composed that hit me the most, in a good way. I knew I wanted a killer track to become the lead track and the title of the album. I had come up with the name “Adrenaline Slip” before I had the song. I am trying to capture those moments of adrenaline rush, like skateboarding, dancing, roller blading, just hanging out with friends, whatever gives you a rush. I find, in those moments, there is also a moment of calm because you are doing something that you love or enjoy with people that you are connecting with in the moment. So that is the “slip” part. The feeling slips into calm for a moment but then goes back to adrenaline. This is why the song has its very EDM moments but then slower, synth/ prog chillout sections and it all ends in an uptempo almost punk rock speed.“

Stream ‘Adrenaline Slip‘: