Welcome to Prog‘s brand newTracks Of The Week! We’ve got seven new and diverse slices of progressively inclined music for you to enjoy.
A doff of the cap to Anneke Van Giersbergen who romped home last week with her new single, Red Sky, leaving everyone else trailing in her wake. Rising Indian proggers Antariksh came in second with Norwegian’s Gazpacho in third.
The premise is simple – we’ve collated a batch of new releases by bands falling under the progressive umbrella, and collated them together in one post for you – makes it so much easier than having to dip in and out of various individual posts, doesn’t it? The idea is to watch the videos (or listen if it’s a stream), enjoy (or not) and also to vote for your favourite in the voting form at the bottom of this post.
Couldn’t be easier, could it? We’ll be bringing you Tracks Of The Week, as the title implies, each week. Next week we’ll update you with this week’s winner and present a host of new prog music for you to enjoy.
If you’re a band and you want to be featured in Prog‘s Tracks Of The Week, send your video (as a YouTube link) or track embed, band photo and biog to us here.
LONG DISTANCE CALLING – THE SPIRAL
German quartet Long Distance really rock things up with their brand new single, The Spiral. It’s the second teaser ahead of the release of the band’s latest album, The Phantom Void, which they released through earMusic on April 10. It’s the band’s 20th anniversary this year, and they’re certainly marking the moment with something of a bang.
The band are calling their ninth album The Phantom Void, “the shortest, hardest, and strongest album of their career”, and while they haven’t gone all heavy metal on us, it’s certainly a bold step on from the lush post-rocky soundscapes of 2022’s conceptual Eraser. Into the heart of darkness we go…
Watch On
PORT NOIR – EBB AND FLOW
Atmospheric Swedish prog quartet Port Noir will release their fifth studio album, The Dark We Keep, through InsideOut Music on May 15. Ebb And Flow is the fourth single the band have released from the upcoming album, perfectly highlighting the band’s balance between haunting melody and impactful musicianship.
“Sometimes we don’t write songs to arrive somewhere,” the band state. “We write them to move. Instead of verses and choruses, we let ideas drift, repeat, and change shape. The movement is the destination. This is a formula we explored and utilised on our earlier albums and something we wanted to tap back into while writing Ebb And Flow.
“Lyrically, it portrays a world caught in endless cycles of numb repetition, where weslowly lose awareness, identity, and agency without resisting. There’s no collapse or climax, only quiet erosion. The Ebb And Flow keeps everything moving just enough to feel alive, while actually preventing change.”
Watch On
VLMV – BODIES GROWN, PT. 1
VLMV’s Pete Lambrou celebrated his birthday yesterday with the announcement that the band will release their latest album, There Will Come Soft Rains, through Pelagic Records on April 24. The haunting melodies of Bodies Grown, Pt. 1 is the first new music released from the upcoming album, mixing the band’s post-rock past with more progressively-inclined musicianship. We’re looking forward to the new album.
“Bodies Grown is a conversation between one soul and another, a parental call and response created using analogue synths reassembled and refashioned through granular and modular synthesis,” Lambrou explains. “It started as an analogue synth played into a modular, which gave me something back in response I hadn’t planned. Like we were having a conversation, or a duet. It felt as though nature, in this case analogue, was in communication with a more modern form. To me, it is a family relationship. In harmony, but not the same. Moved on. Progressed and Evolved.”
Watch On
LORENZO BEDINI, AMANDA LEHMANN & FRIENDS – DO YOU WONDER?
Airbridge man Lorenzo Bedini has teamed with Amanda Lehmann to write this quite wonderful ten-minute song, Do You Wonder?, to raise money for Amnesty International, initially to support the situation in Gaza. However, the escalation between the US and Israel against Iran has somewhat overshadowed that, but the sentiment remains. The pair have also roped in Colosseum guitarist Zal Cleminson and former Pendragon drummer Fudge Smith to help them out while Solstice’s Andy Glass has mastered. You can purchase the single here.
“Like the rest of civilised humanity, I was appalled by what was going on in Gaza,” Bedini explains. “It leapt into our consciousness, remaining there during every waking minute. I only had to say, ‘How are you?’ to a friend or neighbour for them to reply with, ‘Ma Dio buono! Have you seen a paper today, or listened to the news?’ Then I heard that what was going on in Sudan was even worse, and I hadn’t forgotten Ukraine, Tibet, or the child slave labour in the lithium mines…”
MARLEY DAVIDSON – FRAGILE
He’s been called Scotland’s answer to That Joe Payne (you’ll hear why), and pianist and singer-songwriter Marley Davidson, who will open proceedings at this year’s Wha’s Like Us prog festival, has shared his brand new single, the emotive Fragile. Davidson’s already played support to the likes of Lifesigns, Justin Hawkins, The Korgis, Russ Ballard, China Crisis, The Emerald Dawn and more, and on this showing the lad’ll go far.
“I take inspiration and convey my complex thoughts and feelings about the world and human nature through my music,” says Davidson. “I have been told my music penetrates deeply into the heart and soul of people. Leaving a deep connection that only music can. My new single Fragile is my first digital-only release. The song is a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, and really showcases my songwriting/composing style. It was recorded in Dundee, while the strings were written by Alistair Steele from The Korgis.”
MAEBE – LOWER CASE SONG TITLE
UK math rockers Maebe (also recent winners of Tracks Of The Week), have announced they will release their third album, Brain Paint, through Ripcord Records on May 22. The band have also released a new video for their latest single, the drolly titled lower case song title, which highlights the intricate guitar interplay between mainman Mike Astley-Brown, Will Thomas and Duncan Stagg and the way they gel with bassist Patrick da Costa and drummer Nicholas Appelgren.
“I’ve been obsessed with instrumental guitar music for over half my life, but the artists that have stayed with me all have one thing in common: melody,” says Astley-Brown. “It’s not enough to just provide a soundscape – it’s the hooks that hit the heart and rattle around the brain. And I think we’ve nailed that with this album.”
Watch On
HOLOSOIL – ANIMAL
Berlin/Helsinki-based art rock quartet Holosoil are no strangers to Tracks Of The Week, and Animal is the band’s fourth appearance, we believe. They’ll release their debut EP, Look Up, through InsideOut Music on April. Meanwhile, Animal is an ode to experimental songwriting – raw, technical, and catchy, with a desire to be heard and seen as something that has not been done before.
“Animal is a pledge of loyalty to the greatest rock songs of our times, the band explain. “A memorable hymn that aims to resonate through the minds of pop fans and metal heads alike. Lyrically, Animal is about connecting with what makes you feel fully alive. Embracing the animal and creature inside you that wants to run free with the wind.”
Watch On
