The Gothsicles – 'The Nyarlat Hot EP'

THE GOTHSICLES
'The Nyarlat Hot EP'
WTII RECORDS 

After claiming the depths of the deep dark industrial scene (and coming back with a squid from another dimension) last year, The Gothsicles have come back to squeeze what's left of the tentacled teat with the humble 'Nyarlat Hot EP'. With three new songs (well two songs and two little segue ditties) and a couple of remixes it's a nice little round up to what has been a fantastic year for the group. With the success of 'Squid Icarus' it's hard to try and shine too much of a light on this humble release, but the tracks are noteworthy all the same. 'Death Touch' being the stand out tune, it's mix of rough and....well less rough vocals are what Gothsicles are known best for. Rolling up like a train riding out of control, Brians' hurdy-gurdy riff plays this track all the way down to hell. It's a dance tune, plain and simple, and try and stop us from getting down to it (I dare you).

Next is the rather more somber 'On another plane'. Here the vocals are a little more distorted and it's clear that this track was more of a muck about in the studio (but lets face it, some of those songs have been some of their most fun... 'Baaaallllllllsssss' being a perfect example). The two shorter tracks 'Yar Lathotep' and 'So long and thanks for all the chips' are yet another little dip into their 8-bit rep, and give you a little bounce around before disappearing into the distance.

Remixes by Ballpeen, Projekt F and God Module give a delightful redux for the tracks on the EP. Weather they be a hardstyle infused knock-out, an exended dub with extra tone or just something with a little more beep to it, these are a welcome entries to our Gothsicles music folder.

With added cover art by Industrials' answer to a bitmap Banksy 'Musik pictures I drawn', this EP is a midget gem that is sure to tide us over until the next explosion to come from Brians' cartridge slot.
Available on WTII's bandcamp on digital only release.

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Review: The Gothsicles – 'Squid Icarus'

THE GOTHSICLES
'Squid Icarus'
NEGATIVE GAIN PRODUCTIONS

The Gothsicles return with their fourth love letter to geek culture in 'Squid Icarus'. The result of a successful Kickstarter campaign, Brian Graupner and his band of reprobates embark on their most club-friendly and well-rounded outing to date. The classic Gothsicle elements are all present such as Graupner's bat-shit crazy vocals, the 8-bit leads, and of course more nerdy nods than anyone would rightly admit to getting.

With production talents from the likes of Assemblage 23, Faderhead, Rotersand, Christ Analogue, and Haujobb and collaborations with Cyferdyne and Angelspit the album is essentially an ebm wet dream.

Songs such as 'Drop Dead, Squid Face!', 'Ultrasweaty', 'I Sniffed The Glove', 'Moon Knight Is Cool', 'Black T-Shirt', 'Cthulhu Fhartwagon', and 'This Club Is Closed' prove to be some of the strongest yet to emerge out of the band's maniacal discography so far. It's just as crazy and experimental as ever but it has that ever-present club-friendly leaning and most importantly it captures the infectious energy that they bring to their live shows.

As mentioned before, with a list of names like that, the production is going to be spot on. Even with all the different elements flailing about in the mix it keeps its composure and keeps everything accessible. In fact, everything, from the high-fashion album cover, to the song writing and production is the best it has been yet.

There will still be the usual complaints. Graupner's vocals are a matter of taste and if you don't like chiptune elements then this is really best to avoid. But if you're adventurous, up on your Lovecraft, or just a bit wrong in the head, then this album is definitely worth your time.

With 'Squid Icarus' The Gothsicles have reached their potential and cast off the “joke band” tag. The album is an outright club assault that has plenty of potential dance-floor fillers. It's going to be interesting then to see how they can top this.  

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The Gothsicles join Negative Gain & announce new album

US label Negative Gain Productions have announced the signing of Chicago based, Industrial Dance outfit The Gothsicles. The band have also announced that their fourth studio album, 'Squid Icarus', which will feature thirteen new tracks as well as contributions from artists such as Faderhead, Assemblage 23, and Haujobb will be released through the label.

The album is scheduled to be released as a physical CD and Digital download this December. For more information please visit the Negative Gain Productions website of the official Gothsicles website.

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