Please consider this my foray into what many other music blogs already do; sharing a handful of worthy music snippets sans video accompaniment. Full audio of these tracks (and more) is available in my Spotify playlist “B1URR3D R3A1ITY” linked to in any right margin here, or fully listenable directly in the below links if you are logged into your Spotify account via your current browser.

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Ex:Re (/ˈex-rayː/) is the critically acclaimed solo project of ūber-talented Elena Tonra, singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the band Daughter, itself an amazing band. Elena chose the name Ex:Re as a double entendre meaning ‘regarding ex’, as in her initial eponymous release being a breakup record, and ‘X-Ray’ as a way to look inside and see what is really there. A remake of a 4AD Blonde Redhead song, it is a stand-out reinterpretation of exquisite beauty.

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Mareux is the stage name of silky-smooth darkwave artist Aryan Ashtiani who doubles as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in his native Los Angeles. Notably, a Gopnik is defined as a Russian street thug stereotypically wearing a tracksuit, eating sunflower seeds, and pressuring people into giving up their money and/or cell phone, as per the question/answer site Quora.

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Phaeleh, aka Bristol artist Matt Preston, has developed an inimitable style of cinematic electronic music which floats between the shifting tempos and timbres of dubstep, garage, electronica, and house music. This particular track was released as an aside on his From The Vaults, Vol. 2 album, which should say something of his oeuvre. The vocals stem from the lovely, sultry-voiced flower, Jess Mills.

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R. Missing is the new moniker of New York-based vocalist Sharon Shy and musician Toppy’s enigmatic music project, formerly known as The Ropes. Expanding on (and eclipsing) their previous palette of Morrissey-tinged lyrics and darkwave, their debut mini-album manages to be even more isolated lyrically than their famously nihilistic previous works, now fully embracing complete detachment. As a concept, Unsummering makes me want to joyously buy my ungrateful inner child a sun-seared ice cream cone minus napkin.

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The Foreign Resort has been featured here before (Flushed), but unfortunately hasn’t released their hyper-vigorous “Onto Us” as a sibling single yet. This powerful track is perhaps best imagined as a coal-black, red-hot locomotive of burning iron ferocity, feverishly rage-sputtering from start to exhaustive finish. Hold on tight.

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