synth-pop . alt-R&B . cold wave . industrial

WEEK STARTING 11 Jul

Genre pick of the week Cover of My First Album by Jessica Winter.

Jessica Winter

My First Album

    Jessica Winter’s debut ‘My First Album’ is a fully realised bold, questioning album, full of personality sitting somewhere on the spectrum between therapy and the dancefloor. Musically there are shades of Kylie Minogue and the glitter of 80s Madonna, there’s the flamboyance of Prince and Queen, the energy and occasional snarl of punk and the dreamy arched eyebrow of psychedelia. In a world where maximalist pop is back and therapy memes rule supreme, My First Album is the perfect soundtrack.

    Jessica Winter is a British singer, songwriter, and producer known for her experimental pop music that blends elements from various genres, including pop, industrial, and indie. To date, Jessica has released a series of EPs, including Limerence (2023), More Sad Music (2021), and Sad Music (2020), each showcasing her ability to infuse unconventional themes and introspective lyrics into pop song structures.

    In addition to her solo project, Winter has an extensive list of credits as a co-writer and producer, having collaborated with artists like The Horrors, The Big Moon, Jazmin Bean, Phoebe Green, Lauren Auder, Pre Goblin, Sundara Karma, Walt Disco, and Brodka.


    “a pure pop confection” – The New York Times.
    “Jessica Winter is a pop-music obsessive whose sound and lyrics are high-concept experimentations that test how far she can take the genre” - Rolling Stone US
    “The UK’s most exciting alt-pop oddball” - NME
    “Moreish pop music that’ll be spinning around your head for days” - GQ
    “Gothic, pop-centric cabaret” - The Guardian
    “Weird, moreish pop music” - Dazed
    “Rebellious alt-pop that feels both classic and utterly new” - CLASH
    “The new face of outsider pop” - The Line Of Best Fit
    “Vibrant, paradoxical, and all-in-all exuberant” - DIY
    “Jessica Winter is an artist with an astounding talent” - So Young



    STAFF COMMENTS

    Barry says: Bright, bold synth pop that sounds as influenced by modern synthesis and production techniques as it is the classic synth era, and shows a songwriter who is unafraid to embrace pop sensibilities while taking things a little outside the comfort zone. Hefty in parts, sugary sweet in others and wonderfully written throughout.

    TRACK LISTING

    1. Nirvana
    2. L.O.V.E.
    3. Feels Good (For Tonight)
    4. Aftersun
    5. Big Star
    6. Worst Person In The World
    7. I See The Robin
    8. All I Ever Really Wanted
    9. Wannabe
    10. Just Like That
    11. Got Something Good
    12. Only Lonely
    13. To Know Her

    Au Pairs

    Playing With A Different Sex - 2025 Reissue

      Playing with a Different Sex was the debut album by seminal post-punk band Au Pairs, released in 1981. Described retrospectively by AllMusic as ‘one of the great post-punk records’, a review by Record Mirror on its release said the band’s ‘critique of all forms of possession and sexual stereotyping assumes a devastating power’. Themes include sexual politics and the torture of women imprisoned in Northern Ireland during The Troubles of the 1970s, as well as a stunning cover of David Bowie’s ‘Repetition’ about domestic violence. It peaked at No. 33 in the UK, and features the single ‘It's Obvious’, which reached No. 37 on the US Club Play Singles chart.

      TRACK LISTING

      Side A
      1. We're So Cool
      2. Love Song
      3. Set Up
      4. Repetition
      5. Headache For Michelle

      Side B
      1. Come Again
      2. Armagh
      3. Unfinished Business
      4. Dear John
      5. It's Obvious

      Bourbonese Qualk

      My Government Is My Soul

      Mannequin Records proudly reissues "My Government Is My Soul", a searing 1989 statement from Bourbonese Qualk, one of the UK’s most defiant and politically engaged experimental acts. Originally released on the group’s own label, this LP captures the uncompromising spirit of a band deeply embedded in the resistance movements of 1980s Britain.

      Recorded during a turbulent period of social unrest, "My Government Is My Soul" stands as a fierce response to authoritarianism, surveillance, and the neoliberal decay that defined the Thatcher era. Bourbonese Qualk fused industrial rhythms, minimal synth, distorted tape loops, and spoken-word polemics into a sound that was both confrontational and deeply physical—a weaponized form of music rooted in activism and direct action.

      Widely regarded by fans as one of the band’s strongest works, "My Government Is My Soul" has earned a near-mythic status in underground circles. Fans have praised the album’s stylistic breadth—“sometimes it kisses the hem of rock, at others it bows towards the likes of Steve Reich & Philip Glass".

      This reissue, fully remastered by Rude 66, reintroduces a critical work of post-industrial dissent to a new generation. Still as urgent and unflinching as ever, the album resonates with today’s climate of mass disinformation and systemic control. It is a timely reminder that sound can still be a form of resistance.

      Remastered by Rude66. Graphic design by Simon Crab.

      TRACK LISTING

      A1 Guilt
      A2 Let It Go
      A3 Ton Ton Macoute
      A4 Know Your Enemy
      A5 Eist
      A6 Knock

      B1 Murmur
      B2 Keep Pushing
      B3 Forget The Past
      B4 Decide
      B5 The Last Thing We Have Is Choice

      Bronski Beat

      Forbidden Fruit - The Age Of Consent Remixed

        The first incarnation of Bronski Beat unfolded over a short but sweet period from April 1984 with ‘Smalltown Boy’ and ending in September 1985 with their post-split remix album ‘Hundreds And Thousands’.

        With a nod to the original ‘Hundreds And Thousands’, and following on from last year’s 40th Anniversary editions of ‘The Age of Consent’, London Records announce an all new Bronski Beat album - ‘Forbidden Fruit - The Age Of Consent Remixed’.

        The album features new reworks from the likes of Gareth Jones (Depeche Mode, Erasure), Kinky Roland (Boy George, Marc Almond) and more, alongside exclusive extended versions of the 2024 remixes by Superchumbo (ft Neil Tennant) and The Knocks (ft Perfume Genius).

        Traversing electronic dystopia, italo-disco, NRG , sultry jazz and more, ‘Forbidden Fruit’ makes for a fitting finale to ‘The Age of Consent’. 

        TRACK LISTING

        LP Tracklisting:
        1. WHY? (SUPERCHUMBO SUPER EXTENDED MIX FT. NEIL TENNANT)
        2. SMALLTOWN BOY (BRONSKI BEAT & THE KNOCKS FT. PERFUME GENIUS - EXTENDED MIX)
        3. JUNK (AN ELECTROGENETIC REMIX BY GARETH JONES)
        4. LOVE AND MONEY (RSF METROPOL ITALO REMIX)
        5. NEED A MAN BLUES (RSF METROPOL NRG REMIX)
        6. I FEEL LOVE / LOVE TO LOVE YOU BABY (ULTRAMIX)
        7. JOHNNIE REMEMBER ME (A JAZZ AFFAIR)

        CD Tracklisting:
        1. WHY? (SUPERCHUMBO SUPER EXTENDED MIX FT. NEIL TENNANT)
        2. SMALLTOWN BOY (BRONSKI BEAT & THE KNOCKS FT. PERFUME GENIUS - EXTENDED MIX)
        3. JUNK (AN ELECTROGENETIC EXTENDED REMIX BY GARETH JONES)
        4. LOVE AND MONEY (RSF METROPOL ITALO EXTENDED REMIX)
        5. NEED A MAN BLUES (RSF METROPOL NRG EXTENDED REMIX)
        6. I FEEL LOVE / LOVE TO LOVE YOU BABY (ULTRAMIX)
        7. JOHNNIE REMEMBER ME (A JAZZ AFFAIR)
        8. NO MORE WAR (EXTENDED REMIX)
        9. SMALLTOWN BOY (PLANNINGTOROCK’S 'THE LOVE THAT YOU NEED' REWORK)
        10. I FEEL LOVE (PROMO DUB MIX ‘85)
        11. SCREAMING (STRIPPED MIX)

        In Sheep’s Clothing present their first archival release: Electric Satie, a one-off conceptual project by acclaimed Japanese electronic music producer Mitsuto Suzuki. Originally released on CD-only in 1998, "Gymnopédie ’99" reimagines Erik Satie’s beloved piano compositions in electronic form ranging sonically from downtempo bossa-nova (featuring Brazilian percussionist Marco Bosco and vocalist Silvio Anastacio) to freestyle ambience and chillout room IDM, not far from the music featured on Music from Memory’s "Virtual Dreams" or Warp Record’s "Artificial Intelligence".

        A deeply imaginative composer and arranger, Suzuki was inspired early on by Yellow Magic Orchestra to develop his own style of synthesizer music. Suzuki’s first releases include 1994’s "Voices Of Planet", an acid techno set under his ARP-2600 moniker, and “Medium Feedback,” which was included on Haruomi Hosono’s 1996 "Daisy World Tour" compilation album.

        On Electric Satie, Suzuki harnesses a unique mix of drum machines, synthesizers (Prophet 5, Memorymoog, PPG Wave, Juno 106, JX-8P, nord modular & nordlead, AKAI & Emu samplers), live percussion, soprano saxophone, piano, and spoken word to craft a lush and vividly futuristic sound world. Compositions like "Gymnopédie", "Sarabande", "Son Binocle", and "Musique D'ameublement" (Furniture Music) are reimagined with electro-rhythms and inventive digital effects processing, while retaining the sweet melodic simplicity and otherworldly modal harmonies of Satie’s timeless piano works.

        TRACK LISTING

        Gymnopedie 1
        Gymnopedie 2
        Harmonies I
        Sarabande 1
        La Lune
        Son Binocle
        Musique D Ameublement Tapissenie En Fer Froge
        Gymnopedie 1
        Vexations
        Gymnopedie 1 - Global Sign Dub

        John Foxx And The Maths

        Evidence - 2025 Reissue

          Originally released in late 2012, the third John Foxx And The Maths album brings together collaborations with The Soft Moon (the post-punk psychedelia of the title-track); Gazelle Twin (including the strikingly beautiful 'Changelings'); New York duo Xeno & Oaklander and Ghostly International's Matthew Dear, plus a Pink Floyd cover and some new Foxx/Benge material. This includes the rich analogue glow of 'Walk' and apocalyptic ballad 'Only Lovers Left Alive'. Meanwhile, regular Maths live band member Hannah Peel plays violin on 'My Town’.

          TRACK LISTING

          1. Evidence (Featuring The Soft Moon)
          2. That Sudden Switch (Featuring Xeno & Oaklander)
          3. Talk (Beneath Your Dreams) (Featuring Matthew Dear)
          4. Changelings (Featuring Gazelle Twin)
          5. My Town
          6. Have A Cigar
          7. A Falling Star (Featuring Gazelle Twin)
          8. Walk
          9. Only Lovers Left Alive

          Ladytron

          604 - 2025 Reissue

            Helen Marnie, Mira Aroyo, Daniel Hunt and Reuben Wu - formed in 1999 and sparked an entire movement in music pop culture powered by vintage synths and electro-rock engines.

            Originally released in 2001 by Emperor Norton Records in the US and Invicta Hi-Fi in the UK, "604" is the debut album from the Liverpool formed electronic outfit Ladytron. Named after the area code for British Columbia, the album features break-out tracks 'He Took Her to a Movie' (inspired by Kraftwerk's very own 'The Model'), 'Playgirl' and 'Discotraxx'.

            TRACK LISTING

            Mu- Tron
            Discotraxx
            Another Breakfast With You
            CSKA Sofia
            The Way That I Found You
            Paco!
            Commodore Rock
            Zmeyka
            Playgirl
            I'm With The Pilots
            This Is Our Sound
            He Took Her To A Movie
            Laughing Cavalier
            Ladybird
            Jet Age
            Skools Out...

            Tony Njoku

            All Our Knives Are Always Sharp

              Tony Njoku returns with 'All Our Knives Are Always Sharp', a sonically expansive and emotionally charged second album that brings together a remarkable cast of black British voices. Featuring powerful collaborations with Tricky, GAIKA, Ghostpoet, Coby Sey, James Massiah Space Afrika and Labi Junior, the record serves as a landmark moment for Njoku, a culmination of both the singular musical style and nuanced, socially-engaged storytelling he’s been crafting throughout his career.

              Rooted in themes of spiritual preparedness, cultural resistance and emotional clarity, the album unfolds through Njoku’s signature blend of electronic abstraction, falsetto-led songwriting and cinematic composition. It’s a work that cuts deep. Philosophical, political and personal, each guest brings a vital new layer to the conversation.


              TRACK LISTING

              1. Weapon
              2. Catatonia (feat James Massiah)
              3. Spirals
              4. Eternity
              5. The Slipstream (feat Ghostpoet)
              6. All Our Knives Are Always Sharp (feat Coby Sey)
              7. Depleted (feat Tricky)
              8. Spirit War Dub (feat Gaika)
              9. On The Back Of Forgiveness (feat Space Afrika)
              10. Safety (feat Labi Junior)


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