The Quietus

The Quietus

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Deep editorial on underground/alternative music, scenes, and culture.

The Afghan Whigs Detail New LP, ‘Soft Control’
NewsJun 3, 2026

The Afghan Whigs Detail New LP, ‘Soft Control’

The Afghan Whigs announce their tenth studio album, Soft Control, set for release on August 21, 2026, marking their first record in four years. Frontman Greg Dulli cites a David Bowie quote on aging, signaling a shift toward quieter confidence...

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New Book Narrates the Oral History of Dubstep
NewsJun 3, 2026

New Book Narrates the Oral History of Dubstep

Lauren Martin's new book "Aftershock: The Seismic Impact Of Dubstep" will be released on August 3, 2026, offering the first text‑led oral history of dubstep. Building on her 2015 VICE piece, the volume compiles quotes from 28 pivotal artists and...

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EFG London Jazz Festivals Adds Goldie and More to 2026 Lineup
NewsJun 3, 2026

EFG London Jazz Festivals Adds Goldie and More to 2026 Lineup

EFG London Jazz Festival has unveiled its second wave of 2026 performers, adding Goldie's orchestral show "Dare To Dream" and Japanese artist Yasuaki Shimizu among others. The festival will span ten days in November, using venues like Royal Festival Hall,...

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Sun Ra And His Arkestra’s ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ Set for Expanded Reissue
NewsJun 2, 2026

Sun Ra And His Arkestra’s ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ Set for Expanded Reissue

Sun Ra and His Arkestra’s 1977 live album Somewhere Over The Rainbow will be reissued next month by Strut. The new edition is freshly remastered from the original source tapes and will be offered digitally, as a 2‑CD set, and...

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YHWH Nailgun’s New Album Is 11 Minutes Long
NewsJun 2, 2026

YHWH Nailgun’s New Album Is 11 Minutes Long

YHWH Nailgun announced their new album, Magazine, a ten‑track record that runs just 11 minutes. The release marks the band’s first signing with legendary indie label 4AD and will drop on June 11, 2026. The full album premiered during a...

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Neptune – Play Some Music
NewsJun 2, 2026

Neptune – Play Some Music

Neptune’s long‑awaited album “Play Some Music” marks the trio’s first release in over a decade, re‑establishing their reputation for avant‑garde junkyard noise rock. The record is built around self‑crafted instruments made from scrap metal, bicycle cranks and other found objects,...

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Charli Xcx Unveils New Album, ‘Music, Fashion, Film’
NewsJun 1, 2026

Charli Xcx Unveils New Album, ‘Music, Fashion, Film’

Charli xcx will release her 11‑track album *Music, Fashion, Film* on July 24, 2026 through Atlantic. The 30‑minute record follows her 2024 album *BRAT* and a soundtrack for Emerald Fennell’s *Wuthering Heights* adaptation, opening with the singles “Rock Music” and “SS26.” Its cover features cultural icons...

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Chemical Romance: The Light-Sensitive Materials of Sapphire Goss
NewsMay 30, 2026

Chemical Romance: The Light-Sensitive Materials of Sapphire Goss

Sapphire Goss’s debut album *Light Sensitive Materials* transforms archival film into sound, using a custom “celluloid synthesizer” that sonifies light and dark areas of 8 mm and 16 mm footage. She layers optical‑sound samples, field recordings, and video‑editing techniques to create dense,...

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Semibreve Completes 2026 Music Programme
NewsMay 29, 2026

Semibreve Completes 2026 Music Programme

Semibreve has finalized its 2026 program, running October 22‑25 in Braga for the festival’s 16th edition. Portuguese pioneer Nuno Canavarro will present a rare set and debut his new work "Radiant Rift" alongside fellow composer Bruno Miguel Pinto in a special commission. The...

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Reissue of the Week: Om’s Conference of the Birds
NewsMay 29, 2026

Reissue of the Week: Om’s Conference of the Birds

Om’s seminal drone‑metal album *Conference Of The Birds* is being reissued by Drag City, bringing the 2005 release back to vinyl and digital platforms. The record consists of two sprawling compositions—“At Giza” (15 minutes) and “Flight Of The Eagle” (17...

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Speaker Music Unveils Final Album, ‘Synoptic Audio’
NewsMay 28, 2026

Speaker Music Unveils Final Album, ‘Synoptic Audio’

Speaker Music, the experimental alias of DeForrest Brown Jr., will issue his final album, *Synoptic Audio*, on July 10, 2026. The release concludes a five‑year partnership with Planet Mu that began with 2019’s *Of Desire, Longing* and includes *Black Nationalist...

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Le Guess Who? Reveals First Wave of Acts Playing 2026 Edition
NewsMay 28, 2026

Le Guess Who? Reveals First Wave of Acts Playing 2026 Edition

Le Guess Who? unveiled most of its 2026 lineup, scheduled for November 5‑8 across multiple venues in Utrecht. The festival features guest curations by Los Thuthanaka, KMRU, Tropical Fuck Storm and aja monet, each bringing a distinct roster of avant‑garde and electronic...

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Dumama – Towards an Expanse
NewsMay 28, 2026

Dumama – Towards an Expanse

South African‑born, Berlin‑based composer Dumama (Gugulethu Duma) has dropped the single “Eating The Other,” a harrowing prelude to her debut album Towards an Expanse. The track thrusts the traditional Xhosa uhadi bow through industrial distortion, post‑punk aggression and electronic manipulation,...

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Jeff Mills Unveils New Album, ‘The Trip To Vega’
NewsMay 27, 2026

Jeff Mills Unveils New Album, ‘The Trip To Vega’

Jeff Mills is set to release his new 11‑track concept album, *The Trip To Vega*, on June 19, 2026. The record imagines a 2097 mass exodus from Earth to the Vega star system, 25.3 light‑years away, and continues his signature...

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Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith Launches Label, Details New Album
NewsMay 26, 2026

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith Launches Label, Details New Album

American electronic composer Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith has launched her own record label, Someone Special, co‑run with producer James Daniel. The imprint’s debut release is Smith’s upcoming album Ruin: It’s Not Just Music, slated for October 2, 2026. The record departs from her...

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Ava Mendoza – Alive Alone, Alive Together
NewsMay 25, 2026

Ava Mendoza – Alive Alone, Alive Together

Brooklyn guitarist‑vocalist Ava Mendoza has issued *Alive Alone, Alive Together*, an eight‑track album recorded while touring in 2025. Seven songs are dramatically reworked versions of material from her 2021 instrumental *New Spells* and 2024’s *The Circular Train*, while the new track...

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Phillip Golub – Partisan Ship
NewsMay 22, 2026

Phillip Golub – Partisan Ship

Phillip Golub’s new album Partisan Ship is a concept record that imagines a sea voyage through experimental avant‑garde jazz. The work features a large ensemble of brass, woodwinds, strings and electronics, anchored by Golub’s custom Flexichord which enables shifting microtonal...

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Visible Cloaks – Paradessence
NewsMay 22, 2026

Visible Cloaks – Paradessence

Visible Cloaks, the Portland duo of Spencer Doran and Ryan Carlile, returned in 2026 with Paradessence, their first full‑length album since 2017. The record builds on their signature blend of globally sourced samples and hyperreal synth textures, while the title...

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New Order to Release ‘The Best & The Rest Of’ Compilation Featuring Rarities and Unheard Remixes
NewsMay 21, 2026

New Order to Release ‘The Best & The Rest Of’ Compilation Featuring Rarities and Unheard Remixes

British electronic rock pioneers New Order are reissuing their 1994 "The Best Of New Order" and 1995 "The Rest Of New Order" compilations as a single, fully remastered collection. The deluxe four‑CD version adds an extra disc packed with rare...

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In the Shadow of the Bomb: Heavy Water by Magic Tuber Stringband
NewsMay 21, 2026

In the Shadow of the Bomb: Heavy Water by Magic Tuber Stringband

Magic Tuber Stringband’s new album Heavy Water, their first release as a trio, intertwines avant‑folk music with the haunting history of Ellenton, South Carolina, a town razed in the 1950s for the Savannah River nuclear complex. The record draws on...

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Arab Strap Unveil New LP, ‘Half-Told Tales’
NewsMay 20, 2026

Arab Strap Unveil New LP, ‘Half-Told Tales’

Scottish indie duo Arab Strap announced their ninth studio album, *Half‑Told Tales*, a 14‑track record slated for release on 4 September 2026. The album arrives 30 years after their debut single, marking a milestone in the band’s three‑decade career. Lead single “You You...

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Han-Earl Park – Uᴉɐƃ∀ ʍǝN sI plO sI ʇɐɥM
NewsMay 20, 2026

Han-Earl Park – Uᴉɐƃ∀ ʍǝN sI plO sI ʇɐɥM

Korean‑American guitarist Han‑earl Park released a new collection of improvised solo guitar pieces titled “What Is Old New Again.” The tracks were recorded in single takes between January 2024 and February 2025 and first appeared as short YouTube videos. Park emphasizes minimal...

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For Breakfast – Longer Than Spring
NewsMay 19, 2026

For Breakfast – Longer Than Spring

For Breakfast, the North London indie collective, returns after a four‑year hiatus with their new LP "Longer Than Spring." The record pivots from the band’s earlier, sprawling sound to a leaner, solo‑led approach centered on vocalist‑keyboardist Maya Harrison, whose decade‑long...

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Speedy J – Walkman
NewsMay 15, 2026

Speedy J – Walkman

Dutch producer Jochem Paap, known as Speedy J, breaks a two‑decade silence with his first solo album, Walkman. The 90‑minute record is deliberately sized to fill both sides of a C90 cassette, marrying analog nostalgia with cutting‑edge electronic experimentation. Tracks weave techno,...

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Eartheater Reveals New Album, ‘Heavenly Body: If I’m The Bottle You’re The Message’
NewsMay 13, 2026

Eartheater Reveals New Album, ‘Heavenly Body: If I’m The Bottle You’re The Message’

Eartheater, the experimental electronic project of Alexandra Drewchin, announced her next album, *Heavenly Body: If I’m The Bottle You’re The Message*, slated for release on July 14, 2026 via Chemical X. The 11‑track record includes a guest appearance by French...

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Fun for All the Family: Fire-Toolz’ Favourite Albums
NewsMay 13, 2026

Fun for All the Family: Fire-Toolz’ Favourite Albums

Chicago experimentalist Angel Marcloid, known as Fire‑Toolz, has debuted on Warp Records with the album Lavender Networks. The record fuses metal, hyperpop, new‑age, and glitchy textures while featuring whispered vocals from her sister, wife, and close friend. Marcloid’s expansive moniker universe—ranging...

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Pixies Unveil ‘Complete B-Sides: 1988-97’ Reissue
NewsMay 12, 2026

Pixies Unveil ‘Complete B-Sides: 1988-97’ Reissue

Pixies' 2001 compilation Complete B‑Sides: 1988‑97 is getting its first vinyl pressing, remastered for a 26 June 2026 release. The reissue will also be issued as a double‑CD, preserving the original 25‑track lineup of rare B‑sides and live cuts. The collection spans...

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Laurie Anderson with Sexmob – Let X=X (Live)
NewsMay 12, 2026

Laurie Anderson with Sexmob – Let X=X (Live)

Laurie Anderson’s new live album Let X=X, released by Nonesuch, captures the full theatricality of her recent tour with New York jazz quartet Sexmob. The record groups songs around technology, angels, familial loss, and late‑stage capitalism, while updating familiar tracks...

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Loraine James – Detached From The Rest Of You
NewsMay 11, 2026

Loraine James – Detached From The Rest Of You

Loraine James’s new Hyperdub release, Detached From The Rest Of You, pushes the boundaries of intelligent dance music by marrying glitch‑laden production with stark, personal vocals. The album unfolds over twelve tracks, each featuring a different guest who is given...

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Native Instruments Acquired by inMusic
NewsMay 8, 2026

Native Instruments Acquired by inMusic

Native Instruments, the Berlin‑based creator of popular music software and hardware, has been acquired by inMusic, the parent of Moog, Rane, Denon DJ and Akai Professional. The deal follows NI’s entry into full insolvency earlier this year and is presented...

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Reissue of the Week: Kraftwerk’s Radio-Activity
NewsMay 8, 2026

Reissue of the Week: Kraftwerk’s Radio-Activity

Kraftwerk’s 50th‑anniversary reissue of *Radio‑Activity* arrives as a Dolby Atmos mix reconstructed from the original 16‑track tapes, delivering sharper frequencies and previously hidden stems. The package bundles a Blu‑Ray audio disc, a full digital release, and a 12‑inch picture‑vinyl version...

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Max Cooper – Feeling Is Structure
NewsMay 8, 2026

Max Cooper – Feeling Is Structure

Max Cooper’s ninth studio album, Feeling Is Structure, premiered as an audiovisual show at London’s Royal Albert Hall, drawing a sold‑out crowd of 5,000. The record fuses his computational‑biology background with techno, ambient, and glitch‑dubstep, delivering meticulously crafted soundscapes that...

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Charli Xcx Releases New Single, ‘Rock Music’
NewsMay 8, 2026

Charli Xcx Releases New Single, ‘Rock Music’

Charli XCX has released a new single titled “Rock Music” on Atlantic Records. The track was created with longtime collaborators A.G. Cook and Finn Keane, who previously worked together on her experimental pop projects. “Rock Music” follows her February Wuthering Heights...

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Boards Of Canada Share Two New Songs, ‘Introit’ and ‘Prophecy At 1420 MHz’
NewsMay 7, 2026

Boards Of Canada Share Two New Songs, ‘Introit’ and ‘Prophecy At 1420 MHz’

Boards of Canada have unveiled two new songs, “Introit” and “Prophecy At 1420 MHz,” as the first cuts from their upcoming album *Inferno*. The tracks follow a standalone YouTube release, “Tape 05,” and mark the duo’s first new material since 2013’s *Tomorrow’s...

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Octo Octa – Sigils For Survival
NewsMay 7, 2026

Octo Octa – Sigils For Survival

Octo Octa’s tenth‑anniversary album *Sigils For Survival* transforms a house record into a ritualistic grimoire, intertwining chaos‑magic sigils with live acoustic textures. The New Hampshire‑based producer, who publicly transitioned in 2015, uses hardware‑driven imperfections and drift‑y MIDI clocks to evoke...

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Peer Review: Loraine James Interviews Miho Hatori… and Vice Versa
NewsMay 7, 2026

Peer Review: Loraine James Interviews Miho Hatori… and Vice Versa

British electronic producer Loraine James released her new Hyperdub album Detached From The Rest Of You, a stripped‑back, glitch‑heavy record she calls her “IDM popstar album.” The project features a collaboration with Miho Hatori of Cibo Matto on the track “Flatline,” and...

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Lambchop Reveal New LP, ‘Punching The Clown’
NewsMay 6, 2026

Lambchop Reveal New LP, ‘Punching The Clown’

Lambchop announced their new album, Punching The Clown, slated for release on August 21, 2026 through City Slang. The 12‑track record, produced by Ryan Olson, was recorded at Justin Vernon’s April Base studio and features Vernon’s banjo throughout. Lead single “Weakened”...

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Pass This On: Olof Dreijer’s Favourite Records
NewsMay 6, 2026

Pass This On: Olof Dreijer’s Favourite Records

Swedish producer Olof Dreijer, half of the avant‑garde duo The Knife, is set to release his first solo LP, "Loud Bloom," a 14‑track collection that fuses dance‑floor energy with global vocal talent. The album features collaborators such as Sudanese singer...

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Smashed Glass, Smack & Dog-Throwing: The Anarchy of Early Clock DVA
NewsMay 6, 2026

Smashed Glass, Smack & Dog-Throwing: The Anarchy of Early Clock DVA

Clock DVA emerged from Sheffield in 1978 with a deliberately confrontational ethos, turning live shows into chaotic spectacles that often ended in bans and riots. Their early performances, aided by performance‑art duo PTI, featured smashed lighting tubes, animal offal, and...

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Russell Haswell – Let It Go
NewsMay 6, 2026

Russell Haswell – Let It Go

Russell Haswell’s newest noise record, *Let It Go*, drops on Editions Mego, delivering a confrontational collage of industrial textures, glitchy beats, and atonal soundscapes. The album opens with a field recording of an overheating generator and spirals through tracks that...

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EXIT Festival Relocates to Montenegro for 2026 Edition
NewsMay 5, 2026

EXIT Festival Relocates to Montenegro for 2026 Edition

EXIT Festival, one of Europe’s largest music events, announced it will move from Serbia to Montenegro for its 2026 edition and beyond. The relocation follows a 2025 departure driven by severe financial cuts and political pressure on the Serbian government....

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OM Announce Reissues of First Two Albums
NewsMay 5, 2026

OM Announce Reissues of First Two Albums

Chicago label Drag City announced it will reissue OM’s first two albums, Variations On A Theme (2005) and Conference Of The Birds (2006), in CD, vinyl and cassette formats on 29 May 2026. The records originally appeared on the Holy...

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Batu and Donato Dozzy Reveal Collaborative LP, ‘Exhale’
NewsMay 5, 2026

Batu and Donato Dozzy Reveal Collaborative LP, ‘Exhale’

Turkish producer Omar McCutcheon (Batu) and Italian ambient pioneer Donato Dozzy have released their first joint album, Exhale, on June 30, 2026. The eight‑track record follows a back‑to‑back DJ set at the 2023 Draaimolen festival and stems from ideas first...

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Floating Point Shares New Song, ‘Falling To Earth’
NewsMay 5, 2026

Floating Point Shares New Song, ‘Falling To Earth’

British electronic producer Floating Points released "Falling To Earth," an excerpt from his debut ballet score for "Mere Mortals" recorded with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. The track blends modular synthesis with orchestral textures and debuted with the ballet in...

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Lucy Liyou – Mr Cobra
NewsMay 4, 2026

Lucy Liyou – Mr Cobra

Lucy Liyou’s new album *Mr Cobra* is an experimental monodrama that fuses pulsing house beats, free‑jazz piano, Korean strings and robotic nursery rhymes. The record tells a personal story of a predatory high‑school romance through two vocal personas, Babygirl and Mister Cobra,...

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Your April Playlist Is Here
NewsMay 1, 2026

Your April Playlist Is Here

The Tuesday Quarterly (tQ) subscriber perk this month is a curated playlist spanning roughly five hours and featuring about 50 artists ranging from Squarepusher to Madonna. A guest playlist curated by filmmaker Mark Jenkin adds an interview on his sonic influences....

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Music of the Month: The Best Albums and Tracks of April 2026
NewsMay 1, 2026

Music of the Month: The Best Albums and Tracks of April 2026

April 2026’s music roundup spotlights a wave of genre‑defying releases, from Eisenstein’s memory‑laden self‑titled album to Loula Yorke’s modular‑synth EP “Salix.” The list also includes Black Midi’s Picton debuting an acoustic folk‑baroque record, Hyper Gal’s noise‑rave LP “Our Hyper,” and a...

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Bonner Kramer • Thurston Moore – They Came Like Swallows
NewsMay 1, 2026

Bonner Kramer • Thurston Moore – They Came Like Swallows

Former Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore and Shimmy Disc founder Bonner Kramer have issued their first full‑length collaboration, "They Came Like Swallows," a seven‑part requiem dedicated to the children of Gaza. The record fuses Moore’s dissonant, improvisational guitar work with...

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OUT.FEST Confirms First Artists for 2026 Edition
NewsApr 30, 2026

OUT.FEST Confirms First Artists for 2026 Edition

OUT.FEST has unveiled the first wave of artists for its 22nd edition, scheduled for October 1‑4, 2026 in Barreiro, Portugal. Headliners include Klein, Pink Siifu, and Rafael Toral, with the experimental project ∈Y∋ + C.O.L.O. – Yamantaka Eye’s new venture – also confirmed. The...

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