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Hello fellow Sputters, here is February’s release of the month. Unsurprisingly, Converge has won (deservedly so) and our brother jrlikestodance has prepared a blurb for us!
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Oh, hi. So. How are you holding up? Because I’m a potato. Below is a smattering of new releases for the week of March 6th, 2026. Look at you. Sailing through the air majestically. Like an eagle. Piloting a blimp. Feel free to jam the playlist below, request reviews from staff and contributors, let us know what you’re looking forward to this week (in music or otherwise), and remember: the square root of rope is string. – List of Releases: March 6th, 2026 –
Acranius – Whiteout
Andrew Wasylyk – Irreparable Parables
Bitter Branches – Let’s Give the Land Back to the Animals
Black Lung – Forever Beyond
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – We Are Together Again
Book of Churches – Book of Churches
Bosse-de-Nage – Hidden Fires Burn Hottest
The Brook & The Bluff – Werewolf Great Albums Analysed In May of this year, it will mark the 30th anniversary of one of my all-time favourite albums, from one of my all-time favourite artists. For those unfamiliar with George Michael’s work and think of the upbeat popstar in Wham!, Older is actually a very dark and bleak record wrought by tragedy, suffering, and depression. However, what makes it so special, in spite of the sombre tone the album operates on, is the glimmers of optimism and hope nestled within the messaging. It’s a deeply personal album that has a very interesting backstory behind it, so I thought my next album analysis would look into this spectacular record for its 30th birthday. Watch the full video here: Stream the album here: Recommended Tracks:
A boatload more content is going to be coming onto the YouTube channel in 2026, so consider subscribing so you don’t miss any of it:
You’ve been a good friend to me. That means something. Below is a sample of new releases for the week of February 27th, 2026. A NEW HAND TOUCHES THE BEACON! Feel free to jam the playlist below, request reviews from staff and contributors, let us know what you’re looking forward to this week (in music or otherwise), and remember: there are so few pleasures in life as fine as your company. – List of Releases: February 27th, 2026 –
A Wilhelm Scream – Cheap Heat
And Also the Trees – The Devil’s Door
Archive – Glass Minds
Bill Callahan – My Days of 58
Black Swan – Paralyzed
BLACKPINK – DEADLINE [EP]
Blackwater Drowning – Obscure Sorrows
Bruno Mars – The Romantic
Buck Meek –… After a a long holiday break, we are finally back with another edition of our contributors’ songs of the month! Let’s see what JoyfulPlatypus and Futures had to say about their favorite tunes from January!
JoyfulPlatypus’ SOTM: Grey Guitar by Joyce Manor “Joyce Manor’s latest album, I Used To Go To This Bar, is a very early contender for album of the year. One of the LP’s biggest highlights is its masterpiece of a closer, “Grey Guitar”. As is the case with pretty much every other Joyce Manor track, it’s short, sweet, and to the point. I’m not often someone who delves into lyrics and tries to seek their meaning, but this is a song whose lyrical content stood out to be from the very beginning. The song’s lyrics, much like other songs, are of course open to interpretation, but they appear to tell the story of a man who’s either struggling with mental health issues or longing for a long-lost friend/lover – pondering whether they’re even alive anymore. Even aside from the captivating lyrics, the track is an absolute earworm, with a chorus that has remained stuck in my head on-and-off ever since I first heard it. Of course I wish it were longer, but as it stands, it’s about as memorable and touching as songs can get, and is far-and-away the best song to release in January.” 
Futures’ SOTM: The Last Note by Megadeth “Although his guitar wizardry may lead you to believe otherwise, Dave Mustaine…
Some gentle housekeeping: there seems to be a resurgence of phobic and/or ableist slurs of late and this must cease, please. When the trash takes itself out like lemmings, there’s no need to regress into edgelord posturing. Give a man a little power, and he falls in all kinds of love with himself. Also, the 2025 staff list is appreciably similar to the community list — who else was going to put Deafheaven at #1 along with The Callous Daoboys and Ethel Cain in the Top 5? One fun fact is that Oklou made its way high up in the 30-11 tier. Love is a chemical; we give it meaning by choice. Whether you are a daily presence (hi!), took a short break (welcome back!), or are returning after a long respite (samesies!), we love you, even if we don’t love the site “randomly” timing out. Below is a small batch of new releases for the week of February 20th to continue placating the one person who thinks these get posted too late in the week. We all make choices, but in the end, our choices make us. Feel free to jam the playlist below, request reviews from staff and contributors, let us know what you’re looking forward to this week (in music or otherwise), and yes, congratulations, you’ve won a battle of wits with a home appliance! – List of Releases: February 20th, 2026 –
Above,…
Hello, my lovelies: below is a not-thorough list of new releases for the week of February 13th to pacify the one person who thinks these get posted too late in the week. Feel free to jam the playlist below, request reviews from staff and contributors, let us know what you’re looking forward to this week (in music or otherwise), and remember: Valentine’s Day is this weekend, and you choo-choo-choose us anyway. Yay! – List of Releases: February 13th, 2026 –
Angel Du$t – Cold 2 the Touch
Ásgeir – Julia
Ashbringer – Subglacial
Bloodred – Colours of Pain
Brent Faiyaz – Icon
Cardinals – Masquerade
Charli xcx – Wuthering Heights [Motion Picture Soundtrack]
Chet Faker – A Love for Strangers
Claire Rosinkranz…
Howdy, y’all — below is a short list of new releases for February 6th, 2026. Feel free to jam the playlist below, request reviews from staff and contributors, let us know what you’re looking forward to this week (in music or otherwise), and have a stupendous Super Bowl weekend. – List of Releases: February 6th, 2026 –
Alice Costelloe – Move On With the Year
Assignment – With the End Comes Silence
Before I Turn – Immoral and Malevolent Happenings
Beverly Glenn-Copeland – Laughter in Summer
Big Big Train – Woodcut
Boris – Journey [Live Album]
Daphni – Butterfly
Dream Nails – You Wish
Ella Mai – Do You Still Love Me?
Another month, another release to blow us away….well, most of us hopefully! This month’s winner is Dreamcrush by Mol and here’s a blurb brought to us courtesy of lucazade22!
Whilst Mol’s earlier work drew endless comparisons to Deafheaven, this latest record finds them branching out and carving their own path. It remains blackgaze at heart, but now incorporates a variety of different genres, including elements of prog and dream pop. The end result is an incredibly fun, varied, and engaging album that never fails to surprise. Despite the evolution in their sound, thankfully some things remain the same. Mol has always had an uncanny ability to craft the catchiest, most euphoric choruses in the genre, and this album is no exception. The lead single, “Garland”, is so addictive it should come with a health warning, while “Dissonance” and “Young” boast some irresistible, melodic leads. All of it comes neatly packaged in a 42-minute runtime that never outstays its welcome. The perfect tonic to a bleak and dreary month, Mol have delivered another fantastic album to add to their impressive back catalogue. Just a note to existing fans don’t come into this expecting Mol of the same! Great Albums Analysed Welcome, denizens of Sputnik, to my first-ever video essay! I’ve never done anything like this before, so I hope you enjoy it. I’ve wanted to do a review or an in-depth deep dive into not only one of my favourite soundtracks of all time, but one of my favourite albums, period, for a while now. I never get bored of listening to Human Revolution, so I thought I’d do a video that looks into the history of Michael McCann, the mindset behind the record, and then my personal opinion on why I love it. Let me know what you think, and if you want more content like this in the future, let me know. Watch the full video here: Stream the album here: Recommended Tracks:
A boatload more content is going to be coming onto the YouTube channel in 2026, so consider subscribing so you don’t miss any of it:
No snappy intro this week as we ease back into remembering how to Google stuff. We’re happy to know tens of you look forward to this every week! Below is a consolidated list of new releases for January 30th, 2026. Feel free to jam the playlist below, request reviews from staff and contributors, let us know what you’re looking forward to this week (in music or otherwise), and we’ll catch you all soon. Besides reviews, stay tuned for even more interviews, essays, contests, and other fun! Countdown starts in 3… 2… 1… – List of Releases: January 30th, 2026 –
A.G. Cook – The Moment (The Score)
Arcane Roots – A Wave, Across the Sea
Blackwater Holylight – Not Here Not Gone
Buzzcocks – Attitude Adjustment
By Storm – My Ghosts Go Ghost
Cast – Yeah Yeah Yeah
Course of Fate – Behind the Eclipse You can read the full review I did for Humaning HERE.
After being on a decade-long hiatus, Earshot finally teased their return with a new line-up of members and a couple of singles to warm up with just before and during the Covid period. Yet, it was in 2025 where the band finally made their glorious return, dropping their first new album in 17 years and doing a 30+ date tour with Saliva to grease the engine and get things moving in a big way again. Simon (Dr.Gonzo) had an extensive discussion with Wil earlier last year to talk about the band’s history and their subsequent return, which you can watch here, however, in this new interview Gonzo catches up with Earshot to talk about Humaning at length, as well as the Spotify boycott, Lars v Napster, funny tour stories, new material in 2026, and much, much more in this monster discussion. Full Interview: Interview Content: Intro / Merry Christmas 00:00 Handling Mainstream Success 02:29 During Earshot’s Hiatus 10:00 Touring With Saliva 22:13 Playing Live Again 27:15 Discovering The Meaning Behind Earshot Songs 30:00 Earshot Touring Story 33:22 Spinal Tap Was Based On UFO 40:39 What Is It To Be Humaning? 47:21 Being a Lyricist And Owning Mistakes 53:54 Being Moved By Music 01:09:07 The Production Of… Alright everyone, it’s about that time! The last release of the month for 2025 is Dove Ellis’ Blizzard! Our very own mkmusic1995 has prepared a very nice blurb for us all to enjoy!
“Dove Ellis waited till the last minute to unleash his debut record which also happens to be one of the most complete and exciting singer-songwriter records of 2025. Highlighted by lush instrumentation and soul-baring lyricism, Ellis conjures one beautiful track after another while channeling the vocal stylings of artists like Jeff Buckley and Thom Yorke. Ellis’ voice certainly retains elements of those artists with his range and the melodic tremble in his delivery, but his artistry is completely his own mixing elements of chamber pop, jangle rock, indie folk amongst others to invite a sense of nostalgia while breaking new, interesting sonic ground. There’s a lot to chew on with these rather breezy tunes, but the more time spent equals more respect, more enjoyment and simply more excitement for what this artist has yet to deliver. Each song feels a bit different whether it contains some horns and resembles something you’d hear from modern windmill-scene bands or is just a stripped back ballad with guitars or piano and Ellis’ touching voice; it all packs such a punch and makes such an impact in the tracklist. It must be such a daunting task to create a debut record and to get so much buzz around it only to be in a position where… You can read the full review I did for Requiem HERE. Primarily known for his dark folk project, Thurnin, Jurre Timmer is a no-nonsense solo artists with a wealth of talent under his belt. Coming off the back of last year’s fantastic third Thurnin album, Harmr, Jurre has resurrected his old melodeath project I, Forlorn 9 years after the release of his debut album, My Kingdom Eclipsed. This brand new 5-track EP, titled Requiem, is an appetiser for a full release later this year and can be listened to right now. With that in mind, Simon (Dr.Gonzo) recently had a chat with Jurre to discuss both I, Forlorn and Thurnin, as well as a soundtrack he has lined up for 2026, slop social media, mental health, and reflecting on Harmr nearly one year on from its release. The Full Interview: Interview Content: Intro / Kittens 0:00 Playing Guitar Upside Down 02:20 Social Media Slop 05:33 Going Independent Again 08:35 Artists Finding The New Business Model 12:20 The Reason For Writing So Many Albums 14:20 Reflecting On Harmr 16:00 Collaborating With Nathanael Larochette And BearTheStoryTeller 17:38 Favourite Track On Harmr 20:05 The Creative Process For Harmr 21:46 Why Bring I, Forlorn Back Now? 23:00 The Difference Between Writing Dark Folk and Metal Music 24:25 Reworking Old I, Forlorn… Ryan (Hawks) and Simon (Dr.Gonzo) recently caught up with David Moody and Chris Sheppard, the duo behind some of the most interesting black/death metal on the market today, to talk about Veilburner’s latest album, Longing for Triumph, Reeking of Tragedy, as well as a load of interesting subjects including world-building, playing live, influences, and a candid look at how the sausage is made in the Veilburner camp. The full interview: Stream the full album: Track recommendations: “That Which Crypts Howls Grandeur”
Veilburner’s Socials
A boatload more content is going to be coming onto the YouTube channel in 2026, so consider subscribing so you don’t miss any of it: |
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