BRUECKEN - years that answer (2026)

One of the most interesting new instances of the classic, guitar-oriented post-rock music comes from Germany. At the end of February, the Oldenburg-based BRUECKEN released their third album and it's some bloody good guitar music.

The album is filled with guitar compositions that are more melodic than atmospheric and can appeal to the fans of the good, ole' post-rock. But they also include a range of other sonic decoration, like the ethereal elements in Periapsis or soft vocals in Signs of Spring that can satisfy all fans. I really like that the massive compositions, first of all Dissolving, where you can feel the weight of the guitar sound while still enjoy the ever-changing melodies share the album space with some airy beauties that function basically as ways of appreciation of each sound and every note created. 

The name of the band is no coincidence. Just like bridges do (bruecken means bridges in German), the band is all about uniting. Let me quote the artists: "We believe in the power of 1music, friendship, empathy and solidarity and stand firmly against all forms of discrimination". I'm cosigning this message with both of my hands. And hey, we have our man in the line up as David Barteczko plays guitar since the establishment of the band!

years that answer costs 9 EUR.

Check: Dissolving

Country: Germany

Genre: classic post-rock

Label: Moment of Collapse Records

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Chalk - Crystalpunk (2026)

The Ulster band became a sensation with only three EPs ever released, but this is history now as the Ross Cullen - Benedict Goddard duo are finally releasing their debut album and it's as good as could be expected. The powerful music that blends post-punk, industrial and several other exciting genres leaves mark after the very first listening session. Welcome to Crystalpunk.

The music here marries various kinds of electronic and guitar music: the dark and the darker. The industrial vibes are all over the place, the electronic parts are designed to overwhelm you while make you dance like a psycho at the same time. It's the kind of a sound you feel with every inch of your body. The high-pulse compositions are the core of this release: high pace and angry, chaotic post-punk vocals do their job so well! And I can't even say which songs are best here, all I know is that the artists are really good at picking the single tracks.

But there is more to the album than only the adrenaline-fueled hits. The uncomfortable lyrics sound best when screamed out, no wonder that the word "pain" appears everywhere at the release, mostly referring to the emotional struggles the artists lived through. As the description of the album goes, it was inspired by "the beauty, confusion, complexity, and intensity of [the artists'] youth – lived under the shadow and around the scars of conflict. In many ways it reminds me of Glasvegas' lyrics even if musically the two couldn't be much different. The duo is planned to come to OFF festival being one of the major reasons for me to go there too this year.

Crystalpunk costs 9 USD.

Check: Can't Feel It

Country: Northern Ireland, UK

Genre: industrial dance punk

Label: ALTER Music

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Jelena Ćirić, Snorri Hallgrímsson, Cécile Lacharme, Oliver Patrice Weder - Tramuntana Tapes II (2026)

The four artists started collaborating as a group in 2023 "at an old shoe factory in Mallorca". Since then, they released an album in 2025 that is now being followed up by a second release. The improvised neoclassical music they create together has the charm and the beautiful energy that inspires the audience with so much ease.

The two releases are characterized by delicate neoclassical soundscapes joined by magical vocals that only boost the soothing and slightly mysterious atmosphere. This all is a result of creating music freely, without a plan or expectations, just fueled by the energy of the group of artists being present in one place in one moment and filled with the need to create something together. Jelena Ćirić sings, Snorri Hallgrímsson and Oliver Patrice Weder play piano and Cécile Lacharme accompanies all of them on viola. I love this multi-instrumental neoclassical team joining forces like some sort of Avengers to save the souls of us, mortal music enjoyers.

Tramuntana Tapes II costs 4 EUR (6 CAD).

Check: Wave

Country: Serbia, Iceland, France, Switzerland

Genre: neoclassical

Label: Moderna Records

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LOLOET - Circle of Echoes (2026)

When I listened to this album, I didn't know the story around it. But apparently LOLOET is a project centred around Ayaka Wada, a j-pop singer and an idol known from girlsband Angerme, who decided to create... ambient pop? How cool is that?!  What's more important, the effects are fascinating: the slowcore, jazzy and experimental pop feels both artsy and fun to listen to. This February, the band released their debut album and it's definitely worth checking out.

Wada says she wanted to make music "that resembles the paintings of Mark Rothko" (yes, those bright and colourful minimalist and abstract pieces) and I... don't see it. I mean the abstraction is certainly there, but this music is far from minimalism. But it's very, very possible I don't focus on the right thing, I have no idea about paintings. My point is that music here is very, very rich. Yes, it may start as ambient background, but it quickly evolves into jazzy and neoclassical structures that ripple around and change shapes all the time while Wada's soft and airy vocals charm their way into the listeners' hearts.

It's such a fascinating journey this album: you can't guess what's going to happen next. Some compositions are vocalless and they are magical too (I'm looking at you, les yeux) and some become a poetry reading that touches upon important, sociopolitical themes. The thing that makes this music special is also the use of trumpet sounds: Chan keng's doing what he can to add this trumpet charisma to the compositions without overwhelming the listener, which I really appreciate.

Circle of Echoes costs 15 EUR ( ¥2,800).

Check: Le matin

Country: Japan

Genre: slowcore/ambient pop

Label: Kankyo-ON

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Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys - Pale Bloom (2026)

It's been already almost 10 years since Lucy Kruger started releasing albums with her band as Lucy Kruger & the Lost Boys and she proves that she has innumerable layers of artisticness and pure talent within herself. The albums are released so frequently one can lose track of Kruger's discography, but that's ok. I can assure you, they are only getting better and better.

The characteristic minimalism the artist nurtures evolves with every release, at least that's how I see it: it's not as rough and lone electric guitar-heavy, less of the dark blues vibe and more towards softer, dreamier art pop music. In some places even bordering with ambient pop's soundscape-y unintelligibleness of the backgrounds. It may be softer but it's certainly not much lighter: the darker shade of dreamy is the signature skill of Kruger's music and, first of all, lyrics which play the lead role in every song on this and any other release. And those can be extremely poignant and uneasy. 

But the thing I love about this music is how effortlessly it combines the ethereally catchy parts with artsy, slightly less approachable in form, very often within one composition too. That's why Ambient Heat is definitely my favourite here: the short lyrical phrases that create a mosaic of fear and existential uncertainty contrast the beautifully executed chorus that contrasts the ambient pop formless parts. I could hardly not love this one.

Pale Bloom costs 9 EUR.

Check: Ambient Heat

Country: RSA/Germany

Genre: dreamy art rock

Label: Unique Records/Schubert Music

Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys - Teen Tapes (for Performing Your Own Stunts) 2022

Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys - Transit Tapes (For Women Who Move Furniture Around) (2021)

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Callière - Solar (2026)

Andrew Rose makes his music for ages now! His music alter ego came back in 2021 after a long hiatus and there's already 6 albums released as Callière. Solar, the final one, makes me think of the classic shoegaze artists as it is as dreamy as it could be while being a clearly offstream gazey project. No wonder that Rose has some interesting connections to Nick Noble of 93MillionMilesFromTheSun, one of my favourites within the sub-genre.

Rose's music is based on dreamy and dense backgrounds and very airy vocals. The important parts are the melodies: in fact, everything in this music is about extremely catchy melodies (sometimes drawing from the old pop song-like motifs as in Calling Claire from Clare) submerged in the oneiric atmosphere. The compositions are never loud, it's way more dream pop than shoegaze, especially that the backgrounds seem to be designed to creating the atmosphere rather than than to draw attention to themselves. It's the melodies that matter, even when they drown in the noisy music (in the beautiful cover of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's Anne with an E). 

This album is said to be inspired by the artist's "journeys along the Camino in northern Spain, where the landscapes and the quiet rhythm of long days on foot sparked a wave of new songwriting" and I can definitely sense this in the unhurried compositions that take their time to get through start to finish, more interested in the landscapes/soundscapes around. I love it. The album features also a handful of guests, but I don't recognize anyone. Still, the vocals provided feel like a good match for the compositions.

Solar costs 5.75 EUR.

Check: Cephalophore

Country: UK/France

Genre: lo-fi dream pop

Label: Pristine Audio

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Be Still the Earth & Jacob David - sigh (2026)

It is a tiny album, but Marshall Usinger (a.k.a. Be Still The Earth) and Jacob David make up such a breath-taking duo, I had to post a little note on the EP here. The softest of soundscapes is here, made of warm electronica and beautiful piano notes, making the audience feel like listening to literal clouds.

The ambient producer from Colorado and the Danish pianist made sure to create this souondscapes with the warmest sounds: the very subtle electronica is never too loud, never too present, always just enough to employ the listeners' ears. It is not the background for the piano keys either. Rather both, the electronica and the piano sounds coexist within each other, creating one body of sound that waves a little, but always only a little. And even Benjamin Tatlow (a.k.a. Antarctic Wastelands) is here for a second! Listening to these 10 minutes is such an amazing experience!

sigh costs whatever you want to pay.

Check: fold

Country: Colorado 

Genre: piano soundscape

Label: slow echo

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