Weekly Wrap Up (Apr. 14th, 2025 - Apr. 20th, 2025)
music from across the global that caught my attention last week
“Weekly Wrap Up” is a series dropping every Monday highlighting some of my favorite music released over the past seven days. I usually try to keep it to ~10 entries; and it includes everything from new albums to random singles off SoundCloud to Bandcamp only compilations to maybe a Boiler Room performance on YouTube. The idea is just for this to be a small, organized collection with stuff like links and descriptors / tags (and maybe a little write up too, who knows?) so it’s easy to navigate and decide to what to check out, etc. It’s not fully comprehensive nor will it include big releases; exceptions obviously. Simply cool music from around the world I enjoyed throughout the past week. It’ll probably evolve more over time as I’m just getting back into it, but this is what I’m rolling with for now. Hope you enjoy!
Digital Dawn - 祈雨祭 (Guiouejae)
type: compilation album
from: seoul, south korea
genres: alternative rock | experimental rock | indie rock | korean rock | post rock | shoegaze
collaborations: asian glow | brokenteeth | della zyr | fin fior | huremic (aka parannoul) | wapddi
listen: bandcamp
So you’re telling me there was an album with original songs from Parannoul, Asian Glow, Della Zyr and friends that was just out there chilling?? For almost THREE years and I didn’t even know about it??? Why did no one tell me? What the fuCKK?!?
DJ ZK3 - Onda da Balinha
type: single
from: buenos aires, argentina
genres: electro baile | electronic | experimental brasileiro | global bass | funk brasileiro | house | mega funk
collaborations: n/a
listen: spotify | youtube
One of these days I’ll do a deep dive into the hypothetical elephant in the “Baile Funk Room” that is phonk. Today is not that day however, so you’ve been spared. For now lol. Long story short, gringos sort of adapted the funk sound and corrupted it by sprinkling in some Memphis phonk. A few producers in Brazil have embraced it, but most look at the style negatively as a sort of bastardization essentially. Which, fair enough— I can completely understand why.
Guess then it kinda makes then sense that the producer I associate with the phonk movement the most is actually from Argentina, and not Brazil. Enter DJ ZK3. This dude has prolly racked up a bajillion plays online thanks to his magnum opus, the ‘Automotivo Angelical’ series if I’m being real (we’re up to seven parts by now, ‘V4’ and ‘V5’ are easily my favs btw); I feel like there’s even a decent chance you may’ve even heard random TikTok edits of his stuff w/o realizing it. For the tune however ZK3 ditches his usual sound and lets the house influences run wild for what ends up being a great change of pace— definitely putting this one on my “kickabout with my boys” playlist for next time.
Fontaines D.C. - Romance (Deluxe)
members: carlos o’connor (backing vocals, guitar, keyboards, piano) | conor curley (backing vocals, guitar, keyboards) | conor deegan (bass, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals) | grian chatten (accordion, guitar, lead vocals, tambourine) | tom coll (drums, percussion)
type: deluxe album
from: dublin, ireland → london, england
genres: acoustic rock | alternative rock | chamber pop | darkwave | dream pop | jangle pop | indie rock | pop rock | post britpop | post punk revival
collaborations: n/a
listen: apple music | bandcamp | soundcloud | spotify | vinyl
watch: bug | favourite | in the modern world | it’s amazing to be young | romance | starburster
*Knocks on door*
“Umm yes hello….. do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior, Fontaines D.C.?”
(whispers) It would be super cool if someone decided to buy me the Bohemians FC x Fontaines collab kit. Like super cool. *coughs* XL large *coughs again*
The Hellp - HAZEL
members: chandler lucy (drums, production) | eddie liaboh (guitar) | noah dillon (vocals)
type: single
from: los angeles, ca, usa
genres: electro clash | glitch pop | indie rock | indietronica | new rave | noise pop | post punk revival
collaborations: n/a
listen: apple music | soundcloud | spotify | youtube
Fuck yea! I get to briefly talk about The Hellp. Anyways I learned about these guys last year when I went on a big underground, electro clash kick over the summer, and boy am I glad I did. I’m kind of obsessed with their sound and honestly can’t get enough of it. Got a feeling this next album might be the one…
Heiroglyphic Being - Dance Music 4 Bad People
type: album
from: chicago, il, usa
genres: acid house | acid techno | bleep techno | electronic | house | outsider house | nu jazz | techno
collaborations: n/a
listen: apple music | spotify
watch: lot radio set
JD Cliffe - misfit.
type: ep
from: london, england
genres: alternative hip hop | experimental hip hop | post punk revival | rap rock | uk hip hop
collaborations: broken english | d.r.a.m. | giuseppe | maths times joy | mike wavvs | mont jake
listen: apple music | soundcloud | spotify
watch: buss ur head (a colors show) | it’s up | lying to my face
So JD Cliffe was actually on the OG version of I'm Sorry I'm Late (Vol. 1, Pt. 1), but got left on the chopping room floor unfortunately due to it just being way too fucking long otherwise lol. That’s why I was doing a fist pump in my living room like prime Tiger Woods dropping a 30 ft. putt for eagle when I saw he released his debut project practically 24 hours later to my complete surprise; allowing me to write about him here! Appreciate it mate, good looks.
Also if the powers that be don’t fucking put this song in FC 26, we riot….
Karmen - Comment t'aimer sans diamants ?
type: album
from: grenoble, france
genres: alternative r&b | conscious hip hop | cloud rap | dancehall | french hip hop | pop rap | trap
collaborations: astrovim | benjay beatz | bgrz | bvker | danyl | dim ebbo | dst the danger | el yoni | e.t. | guy2bezbar | high klassified | houdi | ikaz boi | ilan n’kaoua | jok’air | ken & ryu | lafleyne | luis diez | majeur-mineur | nardey | pablosantana | plk | richard diez | samant | tommy | unfazzed | uraken | volloup | vito bendinelli | xavier sanchez
listen: apple music | spotify | youtube
watch: control
I remember back in 2018 there was this rapper/producer named Tortoz who dropped a couple decent albums to good reception within the French scene. I saw his name pop up in some production credits and a feature here n there and then all of a sudden, nothing. I didn’t really think about it at the time, but nearly 5 years went by and I didn’t here a word about him. Fast forward to a 2023 and one of French rap accounts I follow tweets about an upcoming album dropping that night by some dude named Karmen Rose; and the guy on the cover looks hella familiar. Consequently I put on my detective gloves real quick and did some light investigating only to discover they’re actually the same person! Turns out in late 2019 Tortoz was diagnosed with cancer and spent the next three plus years essentially fighting for his life. Thankfully he was able to overcome the horrific disease and subsequently decided to change his pseudonym to Karmen; as an ode to his late grandmother who unfortunately had passed away due to the same illness.
This is his first studio album since 2019 and easily the most compelling piece of work to date. As a sucker for French rap themed albums with corresponding skits / interludes, I had a feeling this one might hit. Does it begin to drag a lil towards the end? Ehhhh yeah, a bit I guess; but CTSD ? is still an incredibly solid + well produced mainstream, French rap album that proves Karmen’s still got it. The highs are high and the lows are far and few between, but to be honest I’m just thrilled to see him back at it again makin music :)
MRD - Misled Youth (Remixes)
type: remix ep
from: oslo, norway
genres: coldwave | electronic | euro trance | funky house | new wave | post punk | synth wave | tech trance
collaborations: bad boombox | digitalism | flawless issues | notinbed | tiga
listen: apple music | soundcloud | spotify
watch: misled youth
Ok, so I have a confession to make. I was *this* close to including Løvehjerte on the first part of 'I'm Sorry I'm Late!. Like at the very last minute too. I went as far as to slapping the artwork in there n entering all the usual stuff, 75% of the write up as well. Problem is I’ve actually been listening to it since it came out unfortunately… Well I guess lemme put it like this— it was released through one of my favorite international indie labels, Live From Earth (Shoutout Live From Earth man, I love y’all), so I was lucky enough to be aware of it when it first dropped. I listened to it and enjoyed it quite a bit; pretty sure I even recommended it to a few people. Over time though guess I kinda forgot about it? Never really revisited all that much despite it still very much being in my library. Also it wasn’t like I stopped listening or looking forward to new MRD stuff at all either. Misled Youth was a great EP (a perfect 4/4 if I do say so myself); and I’d seen the remix singles with the similarly stylized artwork, so in the back of my mind I was kinda hoping something like this would come out.
Anyways Thursday morning rolls around and this pops up in my Spotify ‘What’s New’ tab and I’m all like, “Oh shit MRD. This is super cool, great stuff dude… can we get a new album pretty please king, I feel like it’s been a min??”. No Erik, you know what’s been a minute? Me listening to Løvehjerte, that’s whats been a minute. So let’s just say that’s what I did and fuckin’ hell. I’m not sure if I underestimated just how much I’ve gotten into like techno and coldwave / post punk stuff recently or what… but I guess have you ever re-discovered something and were so blown away by it that it felt completely new, like you finally “got it” in a way. Well that was me after my play through. So much so that I pulled up what I had been working on for a week plus and was maybe 10 minutes of final revisions away from being posted, and just slapped it all in there. In the end my better judgement finally got ahold of me and pulled it when I realized that stuff could essentially just be ported over to here hehe. So…..
(Starts looking around) Where’s the camera? Wait wher— ok gotcha. (Looks at Camera Operator 5) MRD… my guy… I just want to say Thank You.
One last thing… I have to mention how obsessed I am with the album cover for Løvehjerte as well. It just encapsulates the feeling of listening to it beautifully for me ya know? I mean for a second imagine being that bird— you’re flying… it’s a beautiful day out… you’re cruising over a nice little pond with your flock… you got your wings all stretched out wide and then he sun peeks over the tree-line and hits ya wings just right….. Oooff I bet that’d be so fucking sick if you were a bird man.
Sinergy - DISCURSO MÁGICO
type: album
from: amsterdam, netherlands
genres: acid house | breaks | dembow | electronic | ghetto tech | guaracha | hard dance | hard techno | house | jungle | latin club | latin electronic | latin tek | latincore | post club | post reggaeton | tech house | techno | tribal house
collaborations: dj babatr | gi.o | some guest
listen: bandcamp | soundcloud
Yay, I finally get to talk about angels gun club too! AGC are an indie label based out of Italy focusing on experimental Latin American club & electronic music I learned about in the backend of last year when one of their compilation tapes popped up in my recommended. The subsequent discovery of their bandcamp page was like coming across a goldmine; tape after tape after tape… after tape after tape, each of them just as good as the last. So now that you now who AGC are, what you’re looking at here is the latest effort from them and I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the angels gun club sound as well. Constantly breaking molds and blurring genres, DISCURSO MÁGICO helps provide a glimpse into Latin night-life. Where the futuristic sounds of LatinTek meet the wild rhythms of Post-Reggaetón and Guaracha; each song is evidence of the awesome creativity that epitomizes the Latin Club scene as a whole.
