What’s up everyone! Welcome to my first interview that I’ve done for Sputnik, and hopefully the first of many. This week, I was able to sit down on a Zoom call with Jackal Twins to discuss their debut record, Cuzco. These guy were absolutely amazing to talk with, they all had great senses of humor, and they all genuinely love the work they have done with Jackal Twins. If you haven’t listened to their debut album yet, or this is the first time you’ve heard their name, let me give you a quick introduction.
Jackal Twins is a three-piece band based out of the New England area, with Ben Trussell on drums and vocals, Mike Palumbo on guitars and vocals, and Dante Lamusta on bass. Their Bandcamp profile describes their music as “psychedelic noisy tunes for the hopeless romantic.” Good luck trying to pin a particular genre down, though. They tend to focus on the mathcore side of their music, and lean into the aggressive style. However, there are numerous genre influences that shine throughout, with a great balance of heaviness with melodic songwriting.
But I’m not here to explain the band myself. No, I’m here to let you guys hear from the band themselves. Please, enjoy this interview with the Jackal Twins! You can either read the interview, listen to the recording, or follow along with both.
NOTE: The transcript below was edited for brevity. Some of the wording has been changed or…
Welcome to my first time doing the weekly releases! Feel free to give my performance a rating on a scale from 1 to 10, comment every single release not here that I didn’t even know existed, and let everyone know what you’re jamming to this week. As always, feel free to request reviews from staff and/or contributors, be sure to skim the release playlist for any songs that catch your eye, and have a great week!
– List of Releases: March 21st, 2025 –
Arch Enemy – Blood Dynasty Genre: Melodic Death Metal Label: Century Media
The Darkness – Dreams on Toast Genre: Hard Rock / Glam Rock Label: Cooking Vinyl
Deafheaven – Lonely People with Power Genre: Black Metal / Blackgaze Label: Roadrunner
Dean Wareham – That’s the Price of Loving Me Genre: Indie Rock / Dream Pop Label: Carpark
Destroyer – Dan’s Boogie Genre: Indie Rock Label: Merge
Decrepisy – Deific Mourning Genre: Death Metal / Doom Metal Label: Carbonized
Envy of None – Stygian Wavz Genre: Alternative Rock / Electronic Label: KSCOPE
girlpuppy – Sweetness Genre: Indie Rock Label: Captured Tracks
Great Grandpa – Patience, Moonbeam Genre: Indie Rock / Alternative Rock Label: Run for Cover
Invent Animate x Silent Planet – Bloom in Heaven Genre: Progressive Metalcore Label: UNFD
SAYA wasn’t the album I was expecting from Saya Gray. Given the direction of her QWERTY EPs, it seemed like she was diving deeper into the fragmented songwriting approach of 19 Masters—instead, she took a different route. Sonically, SAYA still plays in the same blurry space between r&b, pop, electronic, and folk, but where her past work felt like a chaotic patchwork of ideas, this album has a clear throughline. The genre-hopping, effortless melodies, eccentric vocal yips—it’s all still there, but every twist and turn feels deliberate.
Tracks like “PUDDLE (OF ME)” and “H.B.W.” showcase her ability to turn eccentric vocal patterns and unconventional structures into something that fits seamlessly within more traditional frameworks, while lead single “SHELL (OF A MAN)” offers a calmer, more streamlined indie/pop sound without compromising the emotional depth of her songwriting. There are only 9 proper songs on this album, but they all work to form a cohesive sound that balances the quirky with the accessible. And sure, one could make the argument that in so doing, Gray loses a bit of the unbridled creativity that her previous stream-of-consciousness approach to songwriting afforded, but it’s hard not to be impressed by her ability to channel all her creative chaos into something so deliberate and guided. In hindsight, SAYA seems like the logical evolution of Gray’s sound; it takes fewer risks than its predecessors, sure, but as a result, it refines her vision into something more focused and palatable.
For any Sputnik regulars that have interacted with me in the thirteen years I’ve been on this site, you may already know that I play the bass and have done for nearly twenty years. So with that context in mind, for no reason at all, I woke up this morning and decided I wanted to pick out a bunch of tracks I think have awesome basslines. The criteria for the chosen ten songs on this list is rather arbitrary, but essentially the main purpose is to highlight some subtle (and not-so-subtle) basslines that aren’t immediate if you’re not a bass player yourself, maybe prompting you to listen to these songs and hearing the magic unfold within them from that perspective. Maybe you’ll even listen to them and never again be able to look at them the same way. After all, that is the beauty of the bass guitar – an instrument that has been treated rather thanklessly throughout history, but is nevertheless an essential ingredient needed to make a good song even better. With that, I hope you enjoy the playlist I’ve created and my thoughts on these fantastic songs.
Jennifer Paige
Let me tell you, as a guy riding hard in his 30s, basslines in pop tracks tend to have some of the best grooves you’ll ever hear. Of course, when you’re an impressionable teenage contrarian, or a knuckle-dragger in your early 20s like I was, looking for edgy NU-metal angst, putting-the-world-to-rights…
Welcome, denizens, to the fourteenth edition(!) of A diagnosis from a (faux) Doctor. Today’s examination is going to be a bit of a nostalgia trip, walking back into a liminal period where you crippled the family computer downloading music off Limewire after discovering a choice band you discovered playing a video game. In the case of Earshot, like the vast majority of us, I discovered this LA-based rock unit playing the classic Madden game: Madden…
3, 2, 1, Weeklies! Unless you’re using the DD/MM format, in which case you’ll be delighted to learn that the number 213 is part of Levine’s sequence. You already knew!? We’ll try to make up for the lack of educational value by surprising you with some of the upcoming releases below. Please feel free to request reviews from staff and/or contributors, let the community know what we’ve missed, brag about your PhD in Mathematics and/or post your jams.
– List of Releases: March 21st, 2025 –
Bloodywood – Nu Delhi Genre: Nu Metal / Rap Metal Label: Fearless
Cradle of Filth – The Screaming of the Valkyries Genre: Symphonic Black Metal Label: Napalm
Disarmonia Mundi – The Dormant Stranger Genre: Melodic Death Metal Label: Coroner
Dissocia – To Lift the Veil Genre: Progressive Metal Label: Willowtip
Drudkh – Shadow Play Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal Label: Season of Mist
Embrional – Inherited Tendencies for Self-Destruction Genre: Blackened Death Metal Label: Agonia
Floodlights – Underneath Genre: Indie Rock / Post-Punk Label: PIAS
Greentea Peng – Tell Dem It’s Sunny Genre: Neo-Soul / Alternative R&B Label: AWAL
The Horrors – Night Life Genre: Neo-Psychedelia / Gothic / Synthpop / Post-Punk Label: Fiction
Imperial Triumphant – Goldstar Genre: Avant-Garde Metal / Dissonant…
As someone who was mercilessly ribbed for liking NU-metal at the height of its popularity in the late 90s and early-to-mid 00s, as well as Limp Bizkit themselves being one of the main punching bags for the movement, it’s somewhat bizarre and vindicating to see Limp Bizkit being one of the most revered live metal acts in the industry today. The funny thing is, even with the vitriol for the band at the time, my friends would haughtily dump on the band whilst occasionally letting out a gritted-teeth concession that they hate them, but “Break Stuff” is pretty “fun”. All of this cognitive dissonance and tribal nonsense out of the equation though, Limp Bizkit have always been a very talented band, with an unbelievable set of musicians making memorable songs with gargantuan payoffs, and a charismatic frontman who’s able to bring it all together. It’s this dynamic and chemistry that has, ironically, galvanised their sustainability and relevance for over thirty years, where other “more respected” bands in rock and metal have long since capitulated and fallen into the void of irrelevance. One of the main reasons for Limp Bizkit’s success, outside of their arsenal of classic tracks, is their reputation for putting on incredible live shows.
Despite loving their music for almost two-and-a-half decades, I’d never actually seen them perform live, which, getting straight to the point, they didn’t disappoint. One of the most alluring qualities was Fred Durst himself, who was once known for being the infamous, edgy…
At this point, I’m honestly not sure why I allow the Callous Daoboys to surprise me. Celebrity Therapist had set up the Georgia-based mathcore group as the true worthy successor to the legendary Dillinger Escape Plan… and the Daoboys did everything in their power to avoid making a straight repeat of that album. Between pushes towards a more mainstream sound with “Waco Jesus” to… well, whatever the hell you want to classify the lead singles from their upcoming album, I Don’t Want to See You in Heaven, as, the Daoboys have been doing their best to drill into our heads that we should expect the unexpected. But this might be their most shocking left turn yet: the Callous Daoboys wrote a straight-up pop song.
No, seriously, Lemon lacks pretty much all of the prevailing weirdness that had defined the band’s past work, being driven almost entirely by a simplistic drumbeat and, of all things, clean guitars! Even when the electric guitars do surge to the forefront in the final chorus, it feels less chaotic and far more triumphant, like a natural climax to the song. Nowhere will you find Carson Pace’s signature manic vocals, only a more restrained singing performance that allows him to show off some more emotional rage aside from pissed off. The weirdest part about all of this is that, despite being such a steep departure from anything the Daoboys have done before, “Lemon” just works. The vocals are great, the melodies are catchy, and there still is a smidgen of…
Hello, children. On this silky Pi Day, despite our best efforts, music is not canceled this week. Please feel free to request reviews from staff and/or contributors and let the community know what’s missing and/or what you’ll be jamming this week.
Charley Crockett – Lonesome Drifter Genre: Country Rock / Nashville Sound Label: Island
Circuit des Yeux – Halo on the Inside Genre: Darkwave / Post-Industrial Label: Matador
cleopatrick – FAKE MOON Genre: Slacker Rock / Noise Pop Label: Thirty Tigers
clipping. – Dead Channel Sky Genre: Industrial Hip-Hop / Breakbeat Hardcore Label: Sub Pop
Coheed and Cambria – Vaxis: Act III: The Father of Make Believe Genre: Progressive Rock / Emo-Pop Label: Virgin
Courting – Lust for Life, Or: ‘How to Thread the Needle and Come out the Other Side to Tell the Story’ Genre: Post-Punk Revival / Indie Rock Label: Lower Third
Curren$y & Harry Fraud – Never Catch Us Genre: Gangsta Rap Label: Jet Life
Dorothy – The Way Genre: Hard Rock / Blues Rock Label: Roc Nation
Happy 8th birthday to the Nintendo Switch! Below is a non-exhaustive list of new releases for March 7th. Please feel free to request reviews from staff and/or contributors, feel a sense of pride and accomplishment letting tens of us know what you think is missing, what your Top 3 Switch games by playtime are, or simply let the community know what the hard jams are this week.
– List of Releases: March 7th, 2025 –
Alabaster dePlume – A Blade Because a Blade is Whole Genre: Spiritual Jazz / Jazz Poetry Label: International Anthem
Amber Asylum – Ruby Red Genre: Neoclassical Darkwave / Dark Ambient Label: Prophecy Productions
Arny Margret – I Miss You, I Do Genre: Indie Folk Label: One Little Independent
Black Foxxes – The Haar Genre: Art Rock / Chamber Music Label: oneRPM
Bob Mould – Here We Go Crazy Genre: Alternative Rock / Power-Pop Label: BMG
The Burning Hell – Ghost Palace Genre: Indie Folk / Indie Rock Label: BB*Island
Cryptosis – Celestial Death Genre: Symphonic Black Metal / Technical Thrash Metal Label: Century Media
Dawn of Ouroboros – Bioluminescence Genre: Progressive Metal / Blackgaze Label: Prosthetic
Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of February 28th, 2025. Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.
– List of Releases: February 28th, 2025 –
Architects: The Sky, The Earth, & All Between
Genre: Metalcore Label: Epitaph Records
Avantasia: Here Be Dragons
Genre: Power Metal Label: Napalm Records
Banks: Off With Her Head
Genre: Pop Label: ADA Worldwide
Cloakroom: Last Leg of the Human Table Genre: Shoegaze / Post Hardcore Label: Closed Casket Activities
Crown of Madness: Memories Fragmented
Genre: Death Metal Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Dark Chapel: Spirit in the Glass
Genre: Hard Rock Label: Napalm Records
Deep Sea Diver: Billboard Heart
Genre: Alternative Label: Sub Pop Records
Doves: Constellations for the Lonely
Genre: Dream Pop / Indie Rock Label: EMI
Enemy Inside: Venom
Genre: Metal Label: Napalm Records
Everon: Shells
Genre: Progressive Rock Label: Mascot Label Records
Grima: Nightside
Genre: Post Black Metal Label: Napalm Records
Hanukruunu: Tavastland
Genre: Black Metal / Folk Label: Svart Records
Hope Tala: Hope Handwritten Genre: Folk / Singer/Songwriter Label: Drift Records
Peter Connelly is one of my most revered composers, not only for being involved in some of my all-time favourite games growing up, but because the music he created for those games expanded upon Nathan McCree’s iconic formula for Tomb Raider in a way that made it, arguably, better. By the time Connelly came in to compose the scores for Tomb Raider’s 4-6, the direction taken amped up the sombre sophistication and exotic, Bondian-esque string arrangements to match the darker, more serious tone the series was heading in at the time. So, in light of the release of Tomb Raider IV-VI remaster, which came out a couple weeks ago, I thought it was a good time to catch up with the man responsible for the scores to these classic games.
As an established composer, what was your musical upbringing like?
It was relatively normal but I was always fascinated by music and musical instruments. My father introduced me to Burt Bacharach at a very early age and I was obsessed with Burt’s music, melodies, his approach to music and his arrangements, so much I remember wishing that, one day, I could also be writing for an orchestra.
I’ve not heard a Bacharach song since I was a kid, what a blast from the past. Bacharach’s known for so many catchy classic songs. His compositional style has a rich network of emotions, layered with a lot going on if you dig into a song, but there’s something immediately alluring and easy-going about…
Lo, it’s back! Embrace the warm bosom of Sputnik Singles and be a valued participant in deciding what sucks and what doesn’t. Today’s track, fresh out of the oven, comes from NU-metal titans, Disturbed, who have dropped their first new song in nearly three years. So wrap those headphones around your ears and lets decide if it’s shite or not.
For me, I’ll be honest; I’ve not listened to a Disturbed record since subjecting myself to their disastrous seventh album in 2018, ironically titled Evolution. To be clear – I’ve never been a huge fan of the band, but I’ll concede I enjoy a lot of their songs in a throwaway fashion. Draiman is a solid singer who brings this Iron Maiden-esque bravado to their music, crafting these claustrophobic verses and detonating them into an apodictic tension-releasing chorus of soaring earworm melodies and chubby guitar riffs. Of course, they’ve not been able to do this to the same effect since 2008’s Indestructible, with albums getting progressively more lifeless and rudimentary. By the time Evolution came into being, they’d managed to strip all of their gusto away for piss-weak rock songs with none of the distinction behind them. After skimming through their 2022 album, Divisive, for this review, the issues carry over from Evolution but the problems are nowhere near as prevalent, and as a result make the record feel more forgettable than bad.
So where does that leave “I Will Not Break”? Well, it has that modern day…
Welcome denizens of Sputnik and welcome to the thirteenth edition of A diagnosis from a (faux) Doctor. Today’s medical examination is going to be on Charlotte, North Carolinians, My Epic. I’ve been going through a renaissance of sorts with the band and have been fervently playing their discography on the regular the last couple months now. As such, I thought it would be good to analyse their work as it’s really surprised me. I was always a lover of Behold and thought Yet was a great album, but I didn’t fully grasp the extent of their talents. As we shall touch on, this is primarily down to the fact I don’t gravitate towards extended plays – something the band has solely focused on for the last decade now, until only recently breaking the cycle with their 2024 album, Loriella. However, my eyes are open and I feel My Epic deserve to be in this series where, hopefully, people who…
Below is a sampling of new releases for February 21st. Please feel free to request reviews from staff and/or contributors, rush to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment in letting tens of us know what you think is missing, or simply let the community know what you plan on jamming this week.
– List of Releases: February 21st, 2025 –
Abduction – Existentialismus Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal Label: Spinefarm
Anxious – Bambi Genre: Alternative Rock / Emo-Pop Label: Run for Cover
Baths – Gut Genre: Indietronica / Art Pop Label: Basement’s Basement
Califone – The Villager’s Companion Genre: Alt-Country / Americana Label: Jealous Butcher
God Complex – He Watches in Silence [EP] Genre: Metalcore / Deathcore Label: SharpTone
IDER – Late to the World Genre: Synthpop / Indietronica Label: Nettwerk
Imagine Dragons – Reflections [Compilation] (From the Vault of Smoke + Mirrors) Genre: Pop Rock / Alternative Dance Label: KIDinaKORNER
Kelora – Sleepers Genre: Dream Pop / Ambient Pop Label: True Panther
Killswitch Engage – This Consequence Genre: Melodic Metalcore / Alternative Metal Label: Metal Blade
