After a week's gap we're back with a brand new Tracks Of The Week. Six brand new and diverse slices of progressive music for you to enjoy.
Although we didn't have a TOTW last week, a big well done to Finnish prog metallers Nightwish, whose video for The Day Of... walked off with the top honours the week before, with Canadian prog metal trio The Wring in second place and atmospheric art rock project i Häxa third.
The premise for Tracks Of The Week is simple - we've collated a batch of new releases by bands falling under the progressive umbrella, and collated them together in one post for you - makes it so much easier than having to dip in and out of various individual posts, doesn't it?
The idea is to watch the videos (or listen if it's a stream), enjoy (or not) and also to vote for your favourite in the voting form at the bottom of this post. Couldn't be easier could it?
We'll be bringing you Tracks Of The Week, as the title implies, each week. Next week we'll update you with this week's winner, and present a host of new prog music for you to enjoy.
If you're a band and you want to be featured in Prog's Tracks Of The Week, send your video (as a YouTube link) or track embed, band photo and biog to us here.
CHARLOTTE WESSELS - THE CRYING ROOM
Former Delain frontwoman Charlotte Wessels will release her third solo album, The Obsession, through Napalm Records on September 20. Having left the Dutch symphonic metallers back in 2021, Wessels has explored different musical areas, and fans of Ayreon are likely to find much to revel in with her latest work. On The Crying Room she shows a more gentle side to her music away from the prog metal bombast.
"When we were gearing up for the very first performance under my own name after Covid, my tour manager asked if I wanted my own dressing room," she says. "Knowing full well that I’d be an anxious mess, I told her I didn’t need a private room— just somewhere I could have a well-earned meltdown without ruining everyone’s vibe. And that, my friends, is how The Crying Room was born. It’s a song about the fear of failure, about needing to catch your breath before diving headfirst into something new. Everyone loves to tell stories about courage and heroism, but let’s be real: I want to hear more stories about people who are absolutely terrified... and do the thing anyway - it's a central theme on the album, and The Crying Room is an invitation to do just that.”
LIZZARD - THE BEHOLDER
France-based prog rock trio Lizzard have built a not inconsiderable following throughout Europe by supporting the likes of Gojira, Terry Bozzio, O.R.k., Soen, Adrian Belew and The Pineapple Thief. The band release their fifth studio album, Mesh, through Pelagic Records on September 27. The multi-national band, Katy Elwell (UK/drums), Mat Ricou (FR/guitar/vocals) and Will Knox (UK/bass), can make a hefty prog noise, but The Beholder offers a little more restraint.
"The Beholder is about stopping for a moment to step back and take in the great cycle of life as it touches everything around you," the band say of their new single. "The moment we finished this song, we knew it had to be the last track on the album."
DIM GRAY - 52~
Norwegian prog rockers Dim Gray will release a new digital live EP through their own Grim Day Records label later this year which will contain live versions of songs from both Dim Gray albums to date. Each performance was recorded by front-of-house engineer Rob Aubrey at shows in England, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Norway and mixed by him to create a document that captures the band’s live sound in authentic fashion.
"52~ is a lockdown song," explains vocalist/keyboardist Oskar Holldorff. "I started writing it just as the world had closed down and we were all having to get accustomed to living inside our own bubbles with minimal real contact with other people. The song is about hiding – from the outside world, or from a memory or a feeling – seeking a temporary refuge from reality. Submerged in a lonely ocean, lulling oneself into a state of calm while above the surface everything is coming apart. The title refers to the 52-hertz whale, which is thought of as one of the world’s loneliest animals since it communicates at a frequency too high for other whales to register. I think writing it was a subconscious attempt for me to cope with the pandemic. To play this song live, with my friends in front of a very real audience, meant a lot to me."
FRANT1C - WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?
Frant1c is the new solo venture from Nine Skies keyboard player Anne-Claire Rallo, inspired by the passing of partner and NIne Skies guitarist Eric Bouillette. Frant1c will release their debut album, A Brand New World, on September 27. The new album, from which comes Where Have You Been?, has been mixed and mastered by John Mitchell and features guest contributions from former Marillion drummer Johnny Marter, Martin Wilson (Grey Lady Down), Helen Tiron (Sun Q) and fellow Nine Skies bandmates Alexandre Lamia and Alexis Bietti.
"The story talks about Charlie and Hope, who have always spent their lives together," explains Rallo. "One fine day, Charlie wakes up alone in the middle of a completely different and devastated world. He then goes in search of his soul mate, pondering: 'What is this world?'. The discoveries and new encounters he makes throughout his adventure to find Hope invite us to reflect on various feelings and questions that are as universal as they are personal to each of us."
KOYO - HOOKED
Leeds-based alt.proggers KOYO will release their third album Onism through 88 Watt Records on November 1. The album title reflects an identity crisis the quartet suffered as they began to think about working on their new album and one which the new album puts squarely behind them. New single Hooked is proof positive of that, a melting pot of classic, alternative, psychedelic, and progressive rock, tinged with the complexities of Queens of the Stone Age.
"A while ago we were talking about this podcast where they were talking about introducing this chip where ultimately it’s like having all the power of your smartphone but inside of you," the band say of the new track. "That freaked me out. But they went on to say how we’ve actually already become cyborgs because we’re already so attached to our phones. That was kind of the spark for this one."
TIM BOWNESS - FILMS OF OUR YOUTH
Tim Bowness is an increasingly busy man as he prepares for the release of his latest solo album Powder Dry, which is released through Kscope Music on September 13. Not only has he just released a video for his excursion into electro-pop that is Lost/Not Lost, but he's already back with another new single, Films Of Our Youth, with a new video created by former All About Eve singer Julianne Regan.
Tim describes the new song as "a combination of sound effects, treated Mellotron strings and sampled voice", saying Films Of Our Youth is "the most reflective piece on Powder Dry. It's a kind of musical breathing space." Speaking on the collaboration with Regan, he says "the poignant visuals very effectively capture the melancholy cinematic quality in the music."
