July – Post-Punk Music

Mark Stewart – The Fateful Symmetry (Mute)

The posthumous studio album by the late Pop Group vocalist is finally unveiled after his tragic passing in 2023. It shows a side to the musician that has not been heard before; an intimate portrayal of his thoughts and emotions away from the more political music of his previous albums, but nonetheless maintaining an air of rebellion.

It opens on the heavy, boxiness of single, ‘Memory of You’; a dark electro song that rivals Peter Murphy’s recent solo album. The choral symphony of noir track, ‘Neon Girl’, inspired by the “singalong” chorus’ of iconic French singer George Brassens and the “cinematic staging” of the classic film ‘The 39 Steps’ and featuring the backing vocals of the Raincoats’ Gina Birch with whom they share producer Youth (who has previously produced Stewart’s solo work). Uplifting the darkess, the spoken word introduction of hope in the chaos is realised in the piano drops of pathetic fallacy ‘This is the Rain’.

Stewart’s key interest in reggae music is seen in ‘Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime’, before returning back to the dark eletro-beats and gothic wail of ‘Twilight’s Child’; a sinister song that holds an ominous foretelling. An industrial sound enters the album with Stewart’s 21st century analysis in ‘Crypto Religion’; its futuristic, robotic vocals are reminiscent of Front Line Assembly’s sound, with the distinct sound of Harmonia also filling the next guitar driven track, ‘Blank Town’; a possible criticism of this album is that borrows too heavily from other artists at this point. The release ends on the piano waltz of ‘A Long Road’; a poignant piece that radiates the eternal light of this talented artist. RIP Mark Stewart.

‘The Fateful Symmetry’ is available now on vinyl, CD and digitally.

Gina Birch – Trouble (Third Man)

The former Raincoats’ bass player releases her second solo studio album following the success of her debut ‘I Play My Bass Loud’ in 2023. The album cover is again her own artwork but starkly contrasts the previous release’s sleeve with the image of a woman being raped, showing Birch’s unapologetic feminist shock factor is still rawly on display. The contents of this album focus again on feminist themes but also her own personal experiences.

Birch muses at the idea of her own mortality following the knowledge that she’s getting older, with ‘I Thought I’d Live Forever’; it echoes the urban creep of her last release with choral melody. The delicate Raincoats vocal sounding ‘Happiness’ is filled with ’60s psychedelic sitar; a song about escapism based on Birch’s seeing a restaurant sign while visiting her mother and a chill pill before the album single and next single, ‘Causing Trouble’ – a punchy, drum bracketed reminder that no well behaved women ever changed history, complete with Birch and her band reading out the names of feminist women who have made their impression on smashing patriarchal rules.

Her intertwining between painting and music is achieved in the aptly named ‘Cello Song’ with its thick, robust strokes acting as a homophone for the brush strokes of the painting she’s describing. The best track on the record is her other single, ‘Doom Monger’: is apocalyptic foreboding is complimented by a simple nihilistic reggae trudge but still infuses with a scent of hope despite the futile situation that faces the planet. The electronic track ‘Nothing Will Ever Change That’ has an infectious groove whilst ‘Sleep’ is a relatable girly song about obsessive love demonstrating Birch’s reliance on vocals rather than overbearing instrumentals, also seen in final track ‘Train Platform’; a spoken word piece that has an ominous predatory tone to it.

‘Trouble’ is available now on coloured vinyl, vinyl, CD and digitally.