Taken as a whole, the end result is an album representing a collection of the band’s most raw and expressive songs yet. Myers’ short story ‘The Folk Song Singer’ was awarded the Tom-Gallon Prize in 2014 by the Society Of Authors and published by Galley Beggar Press. His short stories and poetry have appeared in dozens of anthologies. Two very different worlds collide and lead to minimalist dark wave deconstructions that are equal parts brutal and erotic. This duality is reflected in the name Skemer, which next to its obvious English meaning of 'intriguer' also stands for ‘dusk’ in Mathieu’s native tongue West-Flemish, as well as in their debut album. You may think it takes quite a bit of nonchalance to do so but the L.A. duo easily succeeds at this. Akin to their aesthetics, they may seem spooky from the outside but their approach is nothing stuffy. Quite the contrary, everything regarding Male Tears is a celebration of life’s most bizzare shades, driven by some of the best dark humor you’ll find around. So Dance with me, my dear, on a dancefloor of bones and skulls / The music is our master The devil controls our souls.

I have been attempting to present myself in a way that is proven to be successful or attractive, much like how people seek out and buy magazines. If you are wondering how something that was invented forty years ago can still sound, literally, fresh and cool, look no further because what this band delivers lives just up to its name. The new record builds and expands upon the three-piece’s enthralling shadow-pop sound, a mix of midnight atmospherics, 90s era jangle pop, and contagious synth drenched hooks that further elevate the transcendent vocals of lead singer Michael Rocheford. Meanwhile Skemer took the time to let all sides of their personality grow and eventually explode. You remember their minimalist cold wave deconstructions equally made of brutal and erotic components.The group of individuals that I surround myself with may act distinctive or striking, but they are ultimately just like everyone else. Turning Blue (2016) was described as a "folk crime" novel, and praised by writers including Val McDermid. A sequel These Darkening Days followed in 2017. Overall, the song is an introspective portrayal of the dark side of popularity and conformity, and the internal struggles faced by those who are willing to do anything to fit in. At least I know she'll never fade. She moves about. I watch her move right across the floor and faint to grey. Belladonna lives inside us all in little ways. Belladonna, her eyes remain. Her eyes remain. I know her eyes remain. House of Harm are proud to announce the forthcoming release of their new album Playground, out December 1st, 2023.

The name MALE TEARS is a reference to the idea that men should not cry, and how this societal expectation can lead to harmful behaviours. How to talk about the problems faced by men in the right way ? Without becoming misogynist, without blaming women and also being against the problems faced by women ? Written in the cold winters of Buffalo, you can almost feel the harshness of the weather affecting the sounds that propagate from these grooves. Icy and frostbitten but somehow still relevantly civic and urban. Eyes so bleak in hair and makeup. Face so white in fear, shaken up. Beauty crawled from head to mark. She comes out to play in the dark. Her arms wrap around her frame, she replaces the fear with pain. She wipes away the tears again and every night she feels the same. I know her eyes remain. The artist Marcella Dvsi has been compared to other experimental musicians like Björk and FKA Twigs.The book’s epigraph comes from Germaine Greer: “The tragedy of machismo is that a man is never quite man enough.” In these stories, that’s a state of affairs to be observed from afar, worthy of satire or karmic comeuppance (all those accidents). Steve Hollyman’s brash new novel, Lairies, takes a different approach. Not for him the comforts of irony; instead, he gets uncomfortably cosy with his violent and bigoted cast to deliver an insider critique of masculine bravado. I desire to continue to present myself in a way that is deemed attractive or admirable, even if it ultimately means sacrificing authenticity or happiness.

On “The Face of Grace” they set out to explore different dynamics by writing a song entirely without drums, but couldn't help themselves from putting emphasis on the song’s 6/8 waltz time signature. “Two Kinds” is another first for House Of Harm in that it’s predominantly driven by acoustic guitar. As a journalist he has written about the arts and nature for publications including New Statesman, The Guardian, The Spectator, NME, Mojo, Time Out, New Scientist, Caught By The River, The Morning Star, Vice, The Quietus, Melody Maker and numerous others.

I am seeking validation and reassurance from those around me that I am valuable and accomplished, despite my inability to truly believe it myself. Model Citizen" has been described as neo-industrial, with heavy influences from artists like Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson. The music video for "Model Citizen" features unsettling footage of Maasai tribesmen and other indigenous people juxtaposed with footage of modern-day cityscapes. A duality deeply rooted in the band’s music as well as in their line-up and obviously their live shows, where romantic and ethereal atmospheres collide with the gothic side of electronic and techno music.

Here comes something unapologetically goth. Male Tears is the dark electro group consisting of vocalist, James Edward and synthesist, Frank Shark. Hailing from Los Angeles, what began as a solo project re-established itself as a duo in 2021, simultaneously moving from the breezy sounds of the first self-titled album to darker realms with their sophomore Trauma Club. And yet Krypt is not just about the music, it’s about one up with the times attitude that can review aggressive EBM in the light of an extravagant pop sensibility and a theatrical grandeur worthy of the Blitz Kids from London circa 1979-80. Myers’s project – letting air out of ideas of what it means to be a man – often requires his protagonists to be killed or maimed, but not always. A story in which a male music journalist interviews a feted female folk singer highlights the journalist’s self-absorption by telling the story from both points of view so that we see how little he understands his subject (there’s probably an element of self-deprecation here - Myers was once a staff writer for Melody Maker). The solution to my problems, or perhaps an escape from them, is ultimately death or some sort of irreversible finality. He is an award-winning author and journalist whose recent novel Cuddy (2023) won the Goldsmiths Prize.For several years I am quite sensitive to the problems faced by women (wage gap, street harassment) but also to the problems faced by men (toxic masculinity, military obligations). Recipient of the Roger Deakin Award and first published by Bluemoose Books, Myers' novel The Gallows Pole was published to acclaim in 2017 and was winner of the Walter Scott Prize 2018 - the world's largest prize for historical fiction. It has been published in the US by Third Man Books and in 2023 was adapted by director Shane Meadows for the BBC/A24. From an early age, James Edward fostered a love for 80’s electronic pop music, due to his father being a predominant DJ in the LA nightclub scene. Over the years this love grew, until he formed Male Tears as an artistic outlet.