#frankcore 2025

[frankbedbroken]

frankcore june 2k25 update!

one week away from the end of the month and i haven't done this yet. good grief! somewhat even split of indie, pop and electronic stylings all around, a lot of it found through podcasts / radio shows, specifically no es computable hosted by the argentinian dj and producer mileth iman, lots of electronic-inspired music with an emphasis on synthpop and the like but with certain deviations to more straightforward techno, house, electro and jungle from time to time; there's been a lot of influence of madjestic kasual's q2 track roundup in the track selection as well as deep cuts' newsletter on albums he's been enjoying recently.

once again i'm gonna organize this based on the screencaps above cause i feel like it's less cumbersome to go through: kicks off slow and meditative with a track off the very notable hats by the blue nile, should check it out at some point cause i honestly thought it was going to be a lot funkier and brighter than the more lowkey number featured here, but i could be wrong and the album might sound completely different; on a similar wavelength, one of the newest blood orange singles pointed me in the direction of this durutti column song, group i've always Heard Of but never actually listened to, very warm and comforting track, quite apt for the upcoming (over here) spring season; similarly warm and tranquil is this nice indie pop track by the bilinda butchers, found this one through a japanese online radio by the name radio eigekai indies where you can end up finding a lot of extremely obscure music from all around the world (one that i wanted to include here but couldn't due to it not being available on streaming is the song arte y ensayo by spanish indietronica / shoegaze project sundae, also very good track); small switchup in vibe with the more nocturnal and 80s-inspired sophisti-pop of korean extraordinaire duo sumin & slom, you can almost always count on them to deliver some really standout material; one that, as mentioned above, i found through no es computable, turn-of-the-millenium indie synthpop sounds from spain, for sure a signature sound over there that has proved to be enduring and extremely influential over the years, this one in a more lowkey and almost downtempo fashion; a cut of the most recent album from post-rock/folk outfit caroline, an album that i should definitely get to sooner rather than later if tracks like the one featured here alongside caroline polachek or the track coldplay cover (unrelated to coldplay, not actually a cover) are any indication, beautiful harmonies and airy guitar-led instrumentation galore; to wrap up, a couple of dancier cuts: on the one hand, the signature funk revivalism as put through a filter of bedroom pop and lo-fi idioms you've already come to expect from nourished by time if you've delved into his stuff, with impossibly groovy instrumentation and forlorn emotionality in its lyricism ("i say: i love you! you say: whatever!"); on the other, from saint etienne, another revivalist cut but this time heading deep into the alternative dance sound of the 90s, very inspired by the frantic rhythms of big beat courtesy of tim rowlands from the chemical brothers on production, i'm more often than not, not a fan of music that actively forces me to be happy, but there's something about this track that sticks the landing for me and works well in its goal of creating this contagiously bright and cheerful energy.

the second third keeps things dancy as well: kicks off with a track from electronic r&b experimentalist vikter duplaix with an appropriate name, as it blends playful crooning with ondulating and glitchy synthwork; in a similar vein, though in a more modern nu-disco revival fashion, a spectacularly bouncy track from sam gellaitry which to my surprise has been going viral on tiktok and youtube shorts and the like, albeit in a slowed+reverb form; a newly-released product era SOPHIE track that i was not familiar with until its recent release (i've never been one to obsess over or deliberately seek out unreleased tracks unless it just so happens to come my way), very much in line with the brighter and poppier stylings of tracks like nothing left to say or just like we never said goodbye; in a bit of a mood change, a recent track from quinn heading deeper into a cloudy sample-heavy direction with impossibly catchy vocal melodies carrying lyricism filled with dread and paranoia; one more on the indie side of things, from newcomer operelly, delivering a mellow yet bittersweet slice of bedroom pop with wispy vocals and light guitar work; bit of a darker number from dk7, a joint project between techno producers jesper dahlback and mark o'sullivan, heading into a synthpop direction with downbeat atmospheres and despondent vocal delivery; keeping in tune with the synth-based direction but in a scrappier fashion, one of the most iconic tracks from german new wave act grauzone, with jagged-edged guitars colliding with analog synths and hollered vocals; closing things out in this third, back into the dancefloor side of things with a new track from forever favourites ivy lab, with their most effective dabbling into east coast club sounds to date, led by an instantly recognizable sample and pounding drum grooves.

and onto the last third: still on dance tempos, old-school electro grooves from james stinson's (aka the other people place, half of drexciya) sideproject elecktroids, i need to get more into electro and detroit techno in general, it's the most i enjoy anything techno related; another month, another track from pinkpantheress featured on the roundup, i'm very predictable, what can i say, she's also consistent in delivering solid pop tunes with uk garage influences and that also helps; somewhat garage-adjacent but decidedly less pop, from imperieux, strong shuffling uk bass grooves laying the groundwork for erratic, clanking and distorted synths, disorienting and haunting yet extremely hardhitting; starting to up the tempo, i'm always a sucker for liquid dnb and pop crossover, and i've been also eagerly awaiting a proper full-length project from james k in the vein of her most recent singles, and as luck would have it, she's definitely delivering some really good stuff, ethereal yet very impactful and surely a good sign of what's to come for the album; keeping things pop with more of a spanish indie slant, a track from seminal synthpop duo astrud, with strong, high-tempo electronics and playful and slightly ironic lyricism; for more pop from spanish speaking countries, a collab between two of the most promising pop acts in argentina, terra and juana rozas, the latter of which has already been featured on these roundups a few months back with her excellent most recent album, but don't sleep on terra either, i'm always interested in very unique and particular vocal stylings and she delivers with ease, and on this track, alongside the pc music-adjacent production from producer cimarron, both of them have great chemistry and are able to create a very infectious, addictive tune; doing a hard left into more instrumental stuff once again, pitch-dark minimal drum and bass from djrum, who you may have been seeing make the rounds for delivering some potent idm influenced by classical music on his most recent album, but at the moment i'm more partial towards some of his previous material, more straightforward in structure but no less adventurous in terms of sound imo; for something a bit more conventional, but worth the listen all the same, a skittering and booming trap instrumental from ssaliva featuring these larger-than-life-sounding synth lines, admittedly simple but very addictive all the same; closing things off once again with spanish indiepop, with this number from meteosat here being more uptempo and as such having a more outwardly punk flare than some other tontipop i've heard, while still keeping the lighthearted and cheeky lyricism you can expect from that scene.

and that about wraps it up for this month, tube it!

[frankbedbroken]

frankcore may 2k25!

its already halfway through june!! picks for the month of may go from fairly dour and downbeat atmospheres in some sections to more solemn and jovial numbers in others, probably one of my messiest roundups in a while so i figure it's best if i go about the breaking down of the playlist just by how it's divided in the images here rather than by genre as i usually do it.

first third of the playlist has the most downtempo-ey, slow-paced numbers: kicks off with a smooth r&b performance over a very wonky-like beat, always a big fan of combining both soundscapes together; i've gotten really into baths this year, his newest project is probably one of if not my album of the year, and obsidian, his second album, is also very very good, had a bunch of tracks i could've added to this list, ended up going with one of the most effective hooks in the entire lp; extremely hazy and blissed-out dream pop from maria somerville, whose album could easily be considered "boring" but it's the kind of thing where hookiness and immediacy take a backseat in favor of mood-setting and atmosphere building so you kinda have to go with the mindset of letting the album wash over you, as such it's somewhat hard to pick apart certain tracks, although the track featured here is definitely a standout for me allthesame; first single for the upcoming nourished by time album, very welcoming track with really bright vocal melodies and arrangements, a sorta larger-than-life vibe to it all; a couple of trip hop and downtempo tracks: a very airy and lowkey number from alternative-dance-and-a-big-etcetera group saint etienne, an almost minimal-dnb inspired track from australian dreampop outfit acopia, and one of many great tracks off the newest erika de casier album, a definite step-up from her previous full-length, honing in on downtempo soundscapes in a way where similarly to the maria somerville album, she manages to hit this consistent mood throughout the album that although not reaching the steep highs of her debut, invites you to sink into its pillowy atmospheres and dusty grooves; finally, a folkier cut from chilean act niña tormenta, went on the lookout for latinamerican indie folk late last month and at the start of this one while working on the playlists to play at a gig i and a couple of friends were hosting, and this track stuck out as a very inviting and sweet track with a good dash of melancholy in its spare acoustics, real nice stuff.

second third is a bit more danceable, fair bit of house and garage inspired tracks, with vaperror's blend of dusty house drum-machine patterns with really bright and wonky-like melodies, not dissimilar to stuff from artists like lone, alongside an impeccably smooth and inviting r&b vocal performance on a deep house beat from rochelle jordan, a must-listen artist if "electronic music x r&b" is something you're in the look out for, and speaking of, a track off the newest pinkpantheress project, that while i did mention in the last roundup that it's comparatively her weakest, it's still a more-than-above-average collection of short and sweet pop cuts, with the track featured here having one of the most infectious vocal samples on the album; continuing with danceable moods albeit with angrier and more aggressive tendencies, a cut off model/actriz's newest album which i ended up liking a lot more than their very acclaimed previous one, you could make the case that it's somewhat one-note but in this instance it works better for me, taking a lot more influences from dance music in terms of rhythm that i feel end up making for more engaging songs; on that same wavelength, newest single from bruxaria extraordinaire d.silvestre's hopefully upcoming album, focusing less on the drum patterns ubiquitous to funk as a whole and opting for putting the emphasis on ear-piercing (positive) siren stabs and throbbing basslines that seem to draw inspiration from turn-of-the-2010s electro house in terms of texture, being direct about it: it bangs; couple of hip-hop tracks with dissimilar approaches, on the one hand, a track from always consistent billy woods' newest project whom alongside ever-ellusive rapper despot bring out back-to-back potent and powerful verses atop a beat from el-p (!!!), and on the other, an incredibly infectious and immediate pop trap cut from one-to-watch chicago rapper thirteendegrees, carried by an impossibly catchy vocal sample off a classic house track; and to wrap up the section, the one outlier in terms of mood here, an almost angelic sounding track from local pop experimentalist sylvia meyer, with very spacious arrangements and ethereal yet striking vocals.

the last third is a whole mess of stuff: kicks off with a perplexing blend of trip hop drum breaks, guitars with some industrial rock flare and cloud-rap inspired r&b-ish vocals courtesy of uk experimentalist rainy miller, off of his most recent full-length; a brooding yet very soulful number from mourning [a] blkstar, a group that i found through deep cuts way back in 2020 and have been keeping tabs on their output since then, always very interesting, with great vocal performances and genre mixtures to boot; a track off the comeback album for stereolab, a band that i haven't been the biggest fan of, though to be fair, i'd only heard one other album of theirs previously (emperor tomato ketchup) and it didn't do a whole lot for me, but the more loungey, electronic tendencies of this newest record i can easily get into; one that i found through the 8485 feature, gore girl appears to be another new member of the witch house revivalism movement of the last couple of years, with this track here featuring icecold synth pads, distorted kickdrums and a hard-to-fully-parse yet impossibly catchy chorus; obligatory Guitar Music™ presence on the list, this time with a propulsive and warm shoegaze track from seminal band catherine's wheel, apparently part of the soundtrack for nowhere which is a movie that i have not seen but i do have a vague interest in gregg araki's work, should check out his work whenever i actually put forth the effort into watching movies and such lmao; next up, varying level of zoomer-core rap-adjacent stuff (sorry) going from a song by Trailer Park Homeless Man Bby Goyard which i found through him posting himself on a quote thread of the worst bars of all time (quote: "cookie bread so scrum-diddly-umptious"), to a track from jane remover's newest project which i ended up liking more than i'm willing to admit (i generally like her stuff well enough! it's just kind of humiliating to call yourself a jane remover fan, it's like calling yourself a jpegmafia fan, there's a whole stigma around it lmfao), i just can't deny the effectiveness of that hook and the crunchy, distorted sound palette, and finally a track off the newest lucy bedroque mixtape, another artist who should definitely be in your radar if you have any interest at all on the recent developments of hiphop and also pop to an extent, with this track having the serrated synths of an electroclash sample giving way to the percussion bounce you'd normally associate with rage (the genre) and a melodic but also hard-hitting vocal performance; wrapping up this third, a track from the newest shades ep, this time going in a jump-up direction, while still maintaining the grit and the pitch-dark vibes that define the project as a whole, arguably not their finest hour but still a more than enjoyable track.

lastly, the one track i would've liked to include on the list but wasn't available on streaming platforms is this lovesick by very secretary, another one that i included on the background music playlists for the gig me and my friends were hosting though i think this one didn't get to be played, track goes in a more slowcore direction with some violins here and there, all having a very autumnal afternoon vibe.

that's it for the month, tube it!

[frankbedbroken]

frankcore april 2k25 update

very near the end of the month and i still havent wrapped this up yet, im so incredibly inconsistent, it's crazy. anyhow, there's some pretty consistent throughlines this month: a fair bit of hip hop, loads of pop and r&b, some electronic stuff and a couple of emo tracks for good measure as well.

for the hip hop: kicks off with a track that i have to admit completely passed me by when it first came out, i genuinely didn't expect by storm to be dropping anything else, there could be a full project down the line which is exciting because their output so far has been great and it feels like they're taking the experimentation they were working with during bttigtp and building off of it extraordinarily; a track from one of billy woods' earlier albums with a glitchier more offkilter beat than the more organic drumless-inspired sounds he tackles as of now (you're probably gonna see him again in next months' list); a somewhat poppier cut from fakemink, one of the rising stars of the uk hip hop underground, that draws parallels from late-2000s/early-2010s electronic beats putting them in slowmotion and creating a one-of-a-kind urban nightlife ambiance; speaking of uk hip hop acts, we've also got jim legxacy's newest single, signaling that black british music is probably gonna hone in more into the pop rap influences and jerk rhythms as opposed to the more softer-sung vocal deliveries of tracks like nothings changed or aggressive, though we'll have to see when it eventually comes out; and to wrap up this section with even more uk hip hop related stuff, one of the most endlessly quotable and vitriolic diss tracks i've heard in a while off a project that's pretty much twenty minutes of grilling some random white boy in the uk scene for being racist, homophobic and just generally a colonizer culture vulture, and i wholeheartedly endorse a good lashing, as you would expect.

on the pop and r&b side: i was torn on if i should get this on the electronic section or the r&b one cause it's kind of both, but tirzah's make it up is a great example of the signature quasi-monotone and detached vocal stylings of the artist blending incredibly well with pulsating and spare house beats, always very singular and unique; the opener for gabby start's newest project, heading deep into 2000s electropop revivalism with chiptune-like synthlines and infectious grooves; the single that really hooked me into pinkpantheress' new project, which i would say is admittedly her weakest but it's still extremely solid, with plenty of undeniable hooks and very sweet instrumentation to boot; one from a uruguayan artist, local pop legend dani umpi meets up with argentinian producer julian desbats in straightforward yet effective synthpop/dance-pop record, with the track featured here having delightful sunset-ready deep house grooves and great hooks (llamen a anama!!!!!!); a new track from iconic uk pop/r&b trio sugababes with the unique vocal stylings and harmonies signature to the group now put into a more modern context with deep house rhythms and envelopingly sultry r&b vibes; an erika de casier track that my phone's media player shuffle really liked for some reason lmao, i feel like still is probably her weakest project overall but it's by no means a bad album at all, and this track with its whispered vocal delivery and subdued production is solid proof of it being a worthwhile listen all the same (you will also probably see her on next month's list as well); probably the most immediate cut off juana rozas' newest album, easily one of the best latin american albums released so far this year, featuring shapeshifting and hardhitting production with electrifying vocal performances and attitude; finally, and i can't believe i'm doing this, a pop rock track! admittedly, this 80s style of pop rock with influences from sophisti-pop and in the case of this track somewhat country-inspired as well, tends to be more pleasant to my ears than some other styles of pop rock, but in any case, very infectious hooks on this track, definitely would've been a surefire hit on your local oldies radio station.

the electronic representation this time around: capital-M murky 90s dub and trip hop goodness from smith & mighty; couple of ebm tracks, one from front 242, another from a split second, both featured on the first maquina total comp, when the term "makina" used to be associated with ebm and new beat as opposed to later evolutions that are more in line with hardcore edm; double dose of eprom as well, with the first installment being an impeccably wobbly and addictive piece of uk dubstep from his joint project with alix perez, and the second an absolutely killer and harsh hybrid trap track done on his own, both IDs that i had been waiting for a while now and i'm glad they're released now; finally, another one from an uruguayan act, post-club extraordinaire lila tirando a violeta with the opening cut off her most recent album, in which a barrage of hard-hitting and unpredictable percussion controls the airwaves on an almost-uk-bass rhythm, getting capped off by subtle ambient touches as it closes out.

and, the rest: rock experimentalism and spoken word from uk trio moin with a heavy emphasis on colin stetson-like saxophone lines and krautrock-esque percussion; could've fit this into the electronic section but anyhow, a classic of the bloghouse era, dance-punk outfit gossip being reworked into an electro house and new rave hybrid by seminal duo soulwax; quick emo section: one from a swedish act that blends screamo vocal delivery with more midwest guitar-work, and two from latinamerican acts, chile and peru respectively, that fall more in line with classic screamo aggression instrumentally; and finally, delightfully cheery folk that eventually leads into more subdued guitarwork more in line with post-rock from chicago school act gastr del sol.

tube it!

[frankbedbroken]

frankcore march 2025 update!

i keep waiting until the middle of the month to start writing some shit on this lmfao sorry, third update of the year, much more all over the place than last month's, going from different flavors of pop, rap and electronic that blend together to the point of blurring the lines of each paradigm to the somewhat more out-there approximations to rock and metal, hard to really find a proper constant throughline this time around.

for starters: one of the groups that was a central part of the development of a very singular sound of pop in the 2010s whose work i've admittedly haven't delved much but i oughta at some point, very ethereal with a slight witch-housey edge; a melancholic and airy slowcore number from an act that i'm pretty unfamiliar but that appears to really hone in on very ambient-like soundscapes in the context of indie and psychedelia (shoutout to madjestic kasual for putting me on, great youtube channel); the unlikely collab of laidback electronic extraordinaire dj python and neoperreo legend isabella lovestory on a downtempo cut with infectious vocal lines and atmospheric synth pads; the first single off billy woods' upcoming project that is, as expected, an impeccable showing of lyricism and endless quotables laid atop a jazzy, murky beat from former collaborator kenny segal; a couple of tracks from different scenes of pop in asia: from china, a particularly artsy and enveloping track by isabelle huang with an idm / post-club edge, from korea: a surprisingly trip-hoppy number from nmixx, a group that's always focused on the blending of different genres with k-pop idioms and has recently found the sweet spots between genre experimentation and pop songwriting, and later on in the playlist, from japan: a track from ever-iconic and essential j-pop group perfume with their signature aggressive yet firmly electropop sound that always works well for me; a wonderfully abrasive and catchy pop rap number with an industrial edge and impeccably boastful energy from argentinian wonderkid roro; and after, a cut off deft & manni dee's very solid swamp season ep, taking a lot of edm trap idioms and contorting them into various forms that are very much informed by a lot of recent developments in hip hop, with the track featured here bearing a lot of resemblance to the whole nervous music scene, with icy skittering hi-hats and booming basslines, accompanied by end-of-the-world-sounding synth pads.

later on: very sweet and comforting crossover of downtempo and twee from swedish group club 8, really oughta check that album at some point; very woozy dream pop from fine, the vocalist of the alt-r&b group chinah, featured a few months back on this list; a cut off yt's new mixtape that samples swedish house mafia, appealing to my bro-edm self from my teenage years and my current obsession with jerk beats; in a shocking turn of events, a metal track from a local band is featured on this list! this group tackles into the more somber, plodding sounds of sludge metal with the gnarlier vocal stylings and textures of neo-crust, honing on repetition in a way that i particularly enjoyed, more than i'm used to with a lot of metal-adjacent stuff; a bombastic, hard-hitting edm trap rework of a drone and dark ambient track courtesy of absolute behemoth evian christ; an extremely off-kilter rock piece that also has a lot of contagious and fun energy from yhwh nailgun, one of several acts that's solidifying ad 93 as one of my labels to keep tabs on for quality stuff; and ever-shapeshifting producer and dj avalon emerson heading deep into 80s synthpop and hi-nrg with a cover of oppenheimer analysis, being a bit slicker than the track it's based on but maintaining the effectiveness and immediacy of those hooks and melodies.

finally, for the last third of the playlist: an unlikely result for the pairing of lsdxoxo, boys noize and vtss as they deliver a very effective, sexy, driving synth funk track with nods to 80s prince; dj tonias taking the already forwardthinking track by dj dengue and giving it a spin by blending the sounds of mandelao with rhythm influences of dubstep; icy drill hi-hats, reverberated and woozy vocals and euphoric trance synths meet up in this track by sus1er & scan; a song that i found through the fmc weekly, a meetup of indietronica production with neo-psych foundations in terms of songwriting and vocal delivery as well as post-punky rhythms, i'm unfamiliar with the original version but i'm definitely very into this reinterpretation; speaking of punk adjacent stuff: for the more late-2000s "indie sleaze" vibe, we've got an abrasive yet extremely energetic and catchy track from the hellp who also featured on last month's batch (definitely an album that passed me by last year, should get on to it at some point), for a scrappier yet still electronic approximation that shares dna with the glitchier side of pop, there's a track from kassie krut's debut ep from last year, and for a more early-2000s post punk revival sound but with a sasscore twist in the vocal department, a track by ¡forward, russia! from an album that i dug a lot more than i was expecting, infectious rhythms and a screamed-out vocal delivery that surprisingly struck my fancy; to close off, a couple of electronic tracks: on the one hand, a blown-out and distorted track that sounds soaked as if dunked into a vat of acid from so wet's water kingdom tackling the lightfooted rhythms and synthesized production of drill and bass; and on the other, a classic thunderdome-era gabber track with frantic sampling and the ever-present distorted kickdrums from rob gee aka riot squad.

before we go, a track that i wanted to add to the list but that for some reason isn't on streaming services: free free by ami suzuki collabing with yasutaka nakata of capsule, delivering the simultaneously dance-floor ready, biting and effervescent electropop sound you'd come to expect from the latter, infectious melodies and grooves all around.

that's it for this month, tube it!

[frankbedbroken]

frankcore 2k25 february update!

second update of the playlist for the year! aside from a couple of outliers, the big two constants for this month were different developments of the glitchier side of pop on one hand, and a lot of hip hop, specifically coming from the uk. most of it fairly recent, some from this year, some from last year, but also with a fair few tracks from before 2024.

for the pop side: quite the interesting and wonky approach to r&b on this track from korean solo artist suzin (shoutout to rym oomf ~sssageee for finding this one); propulsive and anthemic almost-hyperpop with some indie sensibilities from the hellp, to which we can also attach the semi-shoegazey playground by tapeworms, the euphoric yet very melancholic chaos by baths (a cut off what's probably my favourite record of the year overall thus far), and the punkier and more angular blase by gabby start; for contrast, one of the more subdued moments in this month's list, a deep cut off oklou's latest project which also is a strong contender for my favourite album of the year at the moment; later on, we pick the energy back up with a housey number from japanese project i-dep with an impossibly catchy hook (those lalalas are not gonna leave your head any time soon after you hear them) and just generally inviting vibes and grooves all around, and a few songs after, a classic 2-step r&b sound courtesy of japanese superproducer towa tei under his sweet robots against the machine moniker, reworking a 70s soul number into a very late-nineties/early-two-thousands dance number, adding a signature-of-the-era garage mcing for good measure; up next, an ever-disorienting yet extremely club-ready rework of a yelle track with the signature wonkiness and attention to detail in sound design that only sophie and a. g. cook could've brought to the table, still being a blueprint for many artists to this day ten years later; and to wrap up, probably the most high-octane number on the list, a ukrainian producer and vocalist meetup with a very alluring, crooning vocal performance very in line with trip hop and art pop that intermingles with frenzied and unstoppable drum patterns to great effect.

for the hip hop side: kicking off with the non-uk rap stuff, very solid short and sweet number that passed me by last year from 454 with a very singular vocal performance and strong sense of melody, and afterwards, one of the signature tracks from vince staples that i admittedly never paid much mind to until very recently with incredibly impactful vocal delivery and an incredibly dark and brooding beat from clams casino. as for the uk side of things: a very woozy and cloudy number from feng that barely clocks in to a minute; the newest single from the eagerly awaited upcoming project from jim legxacy, honing in on influences of milwaukee lowend in its bouncy groove; an incredibly effective blend of hip hop delivery with the sound of the electroclash revival of these past years from fakemink; aj tracey's most recent output featuring a strong skittering grime groove that lays the foundation for a chopped-up chipmunked soul sample and of course the wonderful vocal performance of the beloved jorja smith, at first tackling on a hip hop delivery that works surprisingly well and later on delivering the smooth and soulful vocal performance you'd expect from her; and finally, a great showing of effective and satisfying vocal delivery from esdeekid and rico ace atop an ondulating not-quite-grime-nor-drill beat.

what we've got left: nocturnal, despondant, soul-influenced trip hop from uk duo a/t/o/s; a cut of the upcoming rainy miller project honing in to the ambient pop aspects of his previous record with space afrika but mixing it with some influences of post-rock and trip hop for good measure; speaking of post-rock influences, a number from slowcore / dream pop project lorna with some idm excursions and a generally enveloping and comfortable vibe overall; for a more evidently rock-centric number, a cut from jadu heart's upcoming project kicking off in a more subdued indietronica-esque sound, to later bring on heavier guitar riffs and potent drum grooves reminiscent of the baggy / madchester sound; a couple of strictly electronic numbers: hypnotic and icy yet very driving and impactful techno from actress, dingy warehouse uk garage from phuturistix and a heavy ghettotech number with an excellent sample (i'll admit, my first introduction to it was the dj rashad track) from mr. de; and finally, the newest single from model/actriz, much more effective for me than a lot of their previous album, we'll see if i end up liking this one more this time around.

that's it for this month, tube it!

[frankbedbroken]

frankcore 2k25 !!

and if you can believe it. it's a monthly playlist once again. for this first installment (?) this year it mostly falls into three separate blocks: a lot of stuff that passed me by during last year and i didn't get hip to until i checked out a bunch of year-end lists (shouts out billdifferen and vhs midnight style), the few new releases that i got to during this month, and assorted random stuff from previous years.

for the first part: we've got ominous and haunting acappella performance from vocal-centric catalan folk duo tarta relena; an incredibly addicting loosie from lucy bedroque that only recently got put onto streaming services (had it been around by the time my year-end list dropped, i would've definitely gotten a hard time deciding between it and how to pretend to be on said list),; poppy bassline/garage numbers from niko b as well as silva bumpa with megan wroe on vocals; broken, ever changing rhythms and corrosive sound design under the always uncertain umbrella of deconstructed club from ship sket and seychelles; a metalcore number from the band kaonashi with an off-kilter and unique vocal performance but also maintaining the aggression and chaos you'd want out of the genre; and finally, speaking of chaos, mind-numbingly hard stuff from CONNIE, moving from a bouncy, hyperactive, super saturated donk-like rhythm which later on slows things down to a brazilian funk drum pattern and tempo but not letting go in the harshness department, all underlying the hardest tts vocal performance since knife party's internet friends (?).

in terms of new stuff: hazy and disorienting yet compelling and riveting ambient / hypnagogic sounds from voice actor & squu; very solid trip hop revivalism from destroyer (very unfamiliar with his discography, this track's not really representative as i understand but im interested to see what the rest of that album is like); pitch-dark and sombre slowcore from the ever-inspiring ethel cain; delightfully euro pop rap with a l'amour toujours interpolation thrown in for good measure from bassvictim (this track dropped last year technically but the project it's from was released just now); slow-burning and mechanical yet vaguely horny new beat vibes from marie davidson; of course i had to include something from twigs' most recent album, went with a track that feels very in line with ray of light and impossible princess, introducing acid techno influences into a pop format; wonderfully sweet indietronica with some influences of microhouse from baths; light and icy garage rhythms intermingling with hip hop and r&b on the latest from john glacier alongside sampha; turn-of-the-millenium-inspired house-pop crossover from rose gray (featuring an interpolation of blue (da ba dee) as well, i know im a bit hypocritical when it comes to that kinda thing but idk i think the two tracks featured here do it well); a couple of tracks from projects that will be dropping shortly: from mun sing, a track that feels equally as indebted to post-club / uk bass experimentalism as it does pc music and recent developments in pop and r&b; from traxman, no-nonsense footwork that works exactly as well as you'd want it to; and from aya, a track that you could compare to machine girl in its tackling of digital hardcore idioms but that also brings in a lot more influence of deconstructed club sound design as well as more hectic edm influences from hard techno and donk; wrapping up, a track off the most recent pink siifu project, this one having really atmospheric yet danceable production courtesy of the duo hi-tech, in a way reminds me of the more dnb-centric side of artists like machinedrum.

and then: the rest! big trip hop block at the start, with more recent revivalism from buttechno & triš, a bizarrely ahead-of-its-time anomaly that's technically folk and industrial adjacent but sounds just like trip hop in 1977 from emmanuelle parrenin, and languid r&b sounds from chinah, mixing an almost monotone vocal delivery with rhythms influenced by trip hop and minimal drum and bass; later on, probably the most popular track off that model/actriz album, the album itself didn't do as much as i wanted to but i do like this track quite a bit; finally, bedroom-esque screamo with potent vocal delivery filled with rage and angst from awakebutstillinbed.

my one track that i would've liked to include but couldn't because it's not on streaming is left leg out by mala, classic uk dubstep sounds from one of the originators of the sound, very grimy and dingy as you would want from the genre.

that's it for now, tube it!