Mirage: New Cinematic Dreamwave from Plastic Horizon

January 26, 2024

Plastic Horizon slows the tempo and deepens the mood with “Mirage,” a short but evocative track that drifts into the territory of dreamwave and chill synthpop.

A Melancholic Waltz

“Mirage” stands out immediately due to its time signature. Written in 12/8 time, the track has a swaying, waltz-like feel that separates it from the driving 4/4 beats of typical synthwave. This rhythmic choice, combined with lush pads and a gentle melody, creates a distinctively melancholic vibe, like a memory fading in the heat.

From the Score of “Gerald”

This composition has dramatic roots. It was originally composed as a theme for the Campfire Radio Theater episode “Gerald,” serving as part of a larger score featuring around 30 pieces of music. While it works perfectly as a standalone single for late-night listening, its cinematic origins are clear in the way it builds atmosphere and emotion in a short runtime.

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“Mirage” is available now on all major streaming platforms. You can support the artist directly by purchasing the track on Bandcamp or streaming it on Spotify using the players below.

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You Are a Machine: New Dub-Industrial Single from Before After Again

January 22, 2024

Before After Again pushes the boundaries of their sound with “You Are a Machine,” a track that blends the echo-laden space of dub with the grit of industrial post-punk.

A Shift in Groove

This composition is defined by its rhythmic instability. It vacillates between a hypnotic, dub-inspired half-time groove and a more driving, mid-tempo post-punk beat. Buried underneath layers of delay and stuttering effects, the vocals act more like another instrument in the mix rather than a traditional lead, adding to the mechanical, disoriented atmosphere.

Lyrics

The ocean
Just close your eyes

Chances you’re not falling forward
Chances you’re not falling forward
Chances you’re not falling forward
Chances you’re not falling forward

The ocean
Just close your eyes

Chances you’re not falling forward
Chances you’re not falling forward
Chances you’re not falling forward
Chances you’re not falling forward

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“You Are a Machine” is available now on all major streaming platforms. You can support the artist directly by purchasing the track on Bandcamp or streaming it on Spotify using the players below.

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Dark Matter: New Southern Rock Single from V1CTOR

January 20, 2024

V1CTOR returns with “Dark Matter,” a track that marks a gritty departure from the project’s usual theatrical and glam rock output.

A Grim Tale

The song opens with the chilling sound of wind blowing and a rope creaking under weight, immediately setting the scene for a classic murder ballad. Trading the makeup for dust and grit, “Dark Matter” leans heavily into Southern Rock territory. The narrative follows a man haunted by his own violent actions, running from a “spectre with a gun called Death” under a desert moon.

Collaborative Firepower

While the music was written by Vic Bonato (also of Cambium) and lyrics by Kevin Hartnell, the track features a standout guest performance. Friend and fellow Overlook Hotel Records label mate Andrew May (The Three Minstrels) contributes lead, rhythm, and slide guitar work that drives the song’s swampy, blues-infused energy.

Lyrics

Under the desert moon,
I took another man’s life.
Didn’t give a damn if he lived or if he died.

But, I should have known better,
’cause there’s always a price to pay.
And now I find myself always running away.
‘Cause there’s a very dark matter hanging over me.

He didn’t need his gold.
Was more than he could spend.
He hid it under the floor,
where he met his bloody end.
And now a god damn spectre,
with a gun called “Death,”
will surely lead me to my very last breath.
‘Cause there’s a very dark matter hanging over me.

Under the hanging tree,
the Devil’s waiting for me.
Under the hanging tree.

Live by the gun, die by the rope
in another man’s hand.
You can pray to your god, it won’t do no good.
This is your final stand.

Under the hanging tree, the Devil’s waiting for me!

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“Dark Matter” is available now on all major streaming platforms. You can support the artist directly by purchasing the track on Bandcamp or streaming it on Spotify using the players below.

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Killer: New Horror Synthwave from Plastic Horizon

January 19, 2024

Plastic Horizon pays homage to the golden age of slasher films with “Killer,” a tense, cinematic track inspired by 1980s horror.

A Carpenter-Esque Beginning

The track opens with a slow, ominous build that is instantly reminiscent of early John Carpenter scores. It sets a scene of dread and anticipation, lurking in the shadows before revealing its true nature. This slow burn eventually explodes into a driving synthwave groove with heavy metal undertones, ramping up the energy like a chase scene in the third act.

The Christine Connection

As the adrenaline fades, “Killer” returns to the calm of its beginning. It fades out on a melodic line that feels like a lost outtake from the soundtrack to Christine, cold, mechanical, and hauntingly beautiful. It is a perfect closer for a track that wears its horror influences on its sleeve.

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“Killer” is available now on all major streaming platforms. You can support the artist directly by purchasing the track on Bandcamp or streaming it on Spotify using the players below.

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Cover art for Vice Grip by Before After Again

Vice Grip: New Uptempo Synthpop from Before After Again

January 15, 2024

Before After Again picks up the tempo with “Vice Grip,” a track that wraps dark lyrical themes in a bright, energetic package.

A Study in Contrast

“Vice Grip” is defined by its sparse instrumentation and a snappy, driving drum track that immediately induces movement. Musically, the chorus feels uplifting and anthemic, a classic synthpop earworm. However, digging into the lyrics reveals a narrative of distress, brokenness, and a toxic dynamic described as a “siege.”

This juxtaposition, dancing while “falling apart,” is a hallmark of the best coldwave and synthpop. It suggests that sometimes the only way to handle the “fracture” is to move through it.

Lyrics

I can’t believe you’re broken now
It’s pitiful
Such distress it tears us all apart
No shame no blame no reckoning
Just look at you
A fractured piece will lie away in waste

She swings a delightful
Comatose no breathing
Don’t fight it now it hurts you in the end
A fall from where she’d thought she’d been forgiven
For all the things she never should have said

Under your siege now
Your vice grip it pleases
Screaming but nothing
It sounds so enticing

I like the way you look at me
It tears into
Seeking trust in eyes you know that lie
So please decide what’s right
What’s wrong it matters none
The end it comes in every way you know

She swings a delightful
Comatose no breathing
Don’t fight it now it hurts you in the end
A fall from where she’d thought she’d been forgiven
For all the things she never should have said

Under your siege now
Your vice grip it pleases
Screaming but nothing
It sounds so enticing

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“Vice Grip” is available now on all major streaming platforms. You can support the artist directly by purchasing the track on Bandcamp or streaming it on Spotify using the players below.

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Cover art for Tachyon by Plastic Horizon

Tachyon: New Anthemic Outrun Single from Plastic Horizon

January 12, 2024

Plastic Horizon hits the accelerator with “Tachyon,” a track that pays homage to the neon-soaked aesthetics of the Outrun genre while carving out its own lane.

A Slow Burn to Redline

While many Outrun tracks rely on high-speed tempos from the start, “Tachyon” takes a more deliberate approach. It runs at a moderate tempo, opening with a stripped-down, skeletal arrangement. A driving bassline locks in with a minimal drum track, allowing a lonely melody line to drift over the top like streetlights passing on a midnight drive.

The Anthemic Release

The track is a study in momentum. It builds patiently, layer by layer, until it erupts with anthemic guitar rhythms that transform the song from a moody synth piece into a stadium-sized rocker. The composition cycles back to the driving intro groove, but this time with the full weight of the instrumentation intact, bringing the song home in a bombastic, cinematic ending.

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“Tachyon” is available now on all major streaming platforms. You can support the artist directly by purchasing the track on Bandcamp or streaming it on Spotify using the players below.

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Cover art for Ephemeris by Plastic Horizon

Ephemeris: New 2024 Cinematic Darkwave from Plastic Horizon

January 8, 2024

Plastic Horizon launches a new series of singles with “Ephemeris,” a track that showcases the darker, more cinematic side of the project. While previous releases have explored upbeat synthpop, this composition drags the listener into the shadows.

A Score for Shadows

The origins of “Ephemeris” are rooted in drama. It was originally composed for the Campfire Radio Theater episode “Gerald,” serving as part of a larger score featuring around 30 pieces of music. Because of this, the track prioritizes atmosphere and tension over traditional song structures.

It opens with a spacious, brooding arrangement, creeping bass tones, a simple arp, and distant atmospheric textures that establish a sense of isolation. The production utilizes the stereo field to create a feeling of being watched, wrapping the listener in a cold, nocturnal mood that fits perfectly within the horror-synth canon.

The Heavy Build

As the composition progresses, it sheds its ambient skin and evolves into a powerful, sweeping groove. The production here hints at the weight of heavy metal, utilizing harmonized guitar leads that deliver the soaring power of twin guitars.

This shift from “creeping dread” to “anthemic power” transforms the track from background score to a main event. It creates a “wall of sound” finale that retains the darkness of the intro but delivers it with a driving force that will appeal to fans of Killer and other heavier synthwave tracks.

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“Ephemeris” is available now on all major streaming platforms. You can support the artist directly by purchasing the track on Bandcamp or streaming it on Spotify using the players below.

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Cover art for Carousel by Before After Again

Carousel: New Dark Wave Ballad from Before After Again

January 1, 2024

Before After Again kicks off the new year by taking listeners into the deepest abysses of dark wave with their latest work, “Carousel.”

A Journey Through Dark Landscapes

“Carousel” is a slow, brooding track that feels more like a nightmare than a dream. With stripped-down instrumentation and a low-energy vocal delivery, it captures a specifically mournful atmosphere.

As described by ElectroZombies (Thomas Frenken): “This melancholic ballad, drenched in melancholy, takes us on a journey through dark landscapes. The song itself sounds almost depressive, with a slow, low-energy delivery that perfectly captures the mournful atmosphere.”

Lyrics

Daughter son
Don’t make a scene
It’s no one’s fault
Don’t pin your blame on me

Carousel
Don’t need to keep
Another fall
From grace you think you need

No one’s home
Nothing’s wrong
Rest your weary eyes my dear
No one’s home
Nothing’s wrong
Rest your weary eyes my dear

Water pools
Through vacant eyes
It leads you through
All of my Twisted lies

Down the walls
My mirror drags
It looks my way but darling don’t look back

No one’s home
Nothing’s wrong
Rest your weary eyes my dear
No one’s home
Nothing’s wrong
Rest your weary eyes my dear

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“Carousel” is available now on all major streaming platforms. You can support the artist directly by purchasing the track on Bandcamp or streaming it on Spotify using the players below.

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Words to the Wise: Debut Album from Imperial Measures

December 7, 2023

Imperial Measures has officially arrived with their debut album, “Words to the Wise.” Spearheaded by the prolific composer Peter Rand and featuring the evocative vocals of Stefanie Kisamore, this project is a rich tapestry of progressive rock and pop sensibilities.

A New Musical Chapter

I am proud to have been a part of this collection, providing drums, percussion, keys, guitars, and handling the arrangement, production, and mixing. The result is an album that critics are already calling “gorgeous” and “absorbing.”

As Rob Fisher notes in his review: “The opening title track is a brilliant introduction to their musical world-building… It’s not until well over a minute into the song that the vocal is finally unleashed into a wonderfully soaring crescendo, full of power and life.”

Lyrics (Title Track)

Sun breaks through
Morning light
Bedside clock tells time
Eyes stay shut
Sleep holds back each rhyme

Songs that whisper
Through the night
Disappear
Disappear
Lines that told
The story right
Disappear
Disappear

All just words to the wise
Keep this sleep from my eyes
All just words to the wise
Keep this sleep from my eyes

Another me
Another world
Finds the words to say
Another me
Another world
Lives another day

All just words to the wise
Keep this sleep from my eyes
All just words to the wise
Keep this sleep from my eyes

Listen & Support

“Words to the Wise” is available now on all major streaming platforms. CD and Vinyl are available via Elastic Stage. You can support the project directly by purchasing the album on Bandcamp or streaming it on Spotify using the players below.

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The Sounds of Nightmares 6: Original Music for Campfire Radio Theater

April 9, 2023

The Sounds Of Nightmares 6: Music Composed For Campfire Radio Theater

Kevin Hartnell presents “The Sounds of Nightmares 6,” featuring 38 tracks of original music composed for the horror anthology podcast Campfire Radio Theater. This volume explores a wide spectrum of fear, from historical survival horror to surreal psychological drama.

This collection features scores from three massive productions: “The Road Ends at the Sea,” “The Dreams of Wolves,” and the critically acclaimed “Last Resort.” My connection with Campfire Radio Theater continues to be a creative highlight, allowing me to pay tribute to the audio dramas that inspired me, such as the classic CBC series Nightfall.

Please consider supporting the show by listening to the full episodes where these tracks appeared at Campfire Radio Theater.

The Sounds of Nightmares 6: what this volume covers

This release highlights the diversity of the series. “The Road Ends at the Sea” demanded a score drenched in maritime isolation, while “The Dreams of Wolves” required a period-accurate tension set against the backdrop of the Civil War. Finally, “Last Resort,” a story rooted in real-life events, required a surreal, dreamlike soundscape to mirror the protagonist’s descent into a personal hell.

Below, you can play the episodes directly on the page. If you prefer to jump straight to listening to the scores, use the Spotify and Bandcamp embeds at the bottom. Bandcamp is also the best option if you want to support the work directly.

The Road Ends at the Sea

Haunted by lost love, a successful writer revisits college friends manning a remote lighthouse on the Canadian coast, only to find a mysterious harbinger of doom waiting offshore.

The Dreams of Wolves

During the Civil War, a small band of Union soldiers seek refuge for the night within the confines of a southern plantation home inhabited by three frightened residents, unaware they are closely stalked by a predatory beast.

Last Resort

In the midst of a surreal dreamlike reality, a broken, flawed man relives the last drunken hours of his life in pursuit of an elusive perfect moment from his past as he hurtles headlong on a collision course with fate.

Listen to the Scores

If you prefer uninterrupted listening, use the full-album players below. Spotify is convenient for streaming and playlists. Bandcamp is ideal if you want high-quality playback and direct support. If you are sharing the release, linking to this page is also useful because it keeps the episode scores and album players in one place.

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