Welcome to Prog's Tracks Of The Week. Six new and diverse slices progressive music for you to enjoy.
A big well done to That Joe Payne, whose Falling In Love I sEasy absolutely romped home with almost half the votes, followed by eMolecule and UK heavy proggers Giant Walker in second and third place respectively.
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.
So get watching. And get voting at the bottom of the page.
HAKEN - LOVEBITE
Taken from their recently released Fauna album, the video for Haken's latest single, Lovebite - equal measures prog and pop - was recorded on the band's rceent European tour. The sextet are currently out on the road in the US and will be back on UK shores this summer for a raft ofSummer festivals including Download, Loudfest, Graspop, Tuska, Arctangent, as well as some select headline shows
"We've been having an incredible time out on our North American Fauna Expedition, playing a brand new setlist, visiting cities old and new for us, and meeting fans every night at the VIP experience," the band exclaim. "It's been a busy year of touring so far but it doesn't end here - with festivals in Europe over the summer and our Latin American Fauna Expedition later in the year there are still many opportunities to see us live!"
EINAR SOLBERG - HOME
Home is the latest single release from Eniar Solberg's upcoming debut solo album 16, which will be released through InsideOut Music on June 2. The new video is intercut with footage of Einar's recent live performances at Prognosis Festival, and it features Ben Levin from Bent Knee, who as well as supplying bass adds a dizzying rap. That might prove too much for some dyed-in-the-wool proggers, but it certainly adds a dynamic flash and a counterpoint to Solberg's soaring vocals.
“It’s called 16 because that’s when the first really, really bad things started happening to me in life. From 16 to 19, there were a lot of very life-defining moments that happened to me, and that changed me,” says Solberg of the new album. “That’s when I kind of lost my innocence and I started realising that life is serious and bad shit can happen. A lot of pretty drastic things happened within those three years. But this album is not only about the bad things. It’s also about some of the career-defining moments, like the moment I started playing with the band and began to find a community to belong to. Emotionally, I’m a bit of everything, so it covers the entire emotional spectrum!”
THE HOLY FAMILY - BAD TRAVELLING
The Holy Family featured Kavus Torabi (Gong, The Utopia Strong, Knifworld), Emmet Elvin (Knifeworld, Chrome Hoof), David Jason Smith and Sam Waker, all of whom were members of influential art rockers Guapo, along with new drummer Joe Lazarus. The band released their self-titled debut album in 2021 and the hauntingly mesmeric Bad Travelling is the first offering from their latest album Go Zero, to be released through Rocket Recordings on July 21.
"Go Zero is based on a hypothetical theory that there is no such thing as ‘the future’," says Smith. "We are continually moving forward into our past until we arrive at our birth – creation – the Tree Of Knowledge… or ‘Going Zero’, as I’ve termed it."
SOLSTEIN - HAMADA
Jacob Holm-Lupo is becoming one of prog's most ubiquitous characters. Aside from the news he's reactivated the progmunogus White Willow, Lupo also trades under the banners of folky rockers The Opium Cartel, the soundtrack-inspired Telepath and the more ambient Donner, you can now add Solstein to the list!
Solstein sees Holm-Lupo working with Toto/Steely Dan drummer Keith Carlock, American synth wizard Bill Bressler on lead synth and Fender Rhodes, Stian Larsen on lead guitar, Martin Windstad on percussion, and INA A who provides some wordless vocal harmonies. "It's fairly chilled out, instrumental music," says Holm-Lupo. That it certainly is...
THE OCULIST - SWAN DIVE
The Oculist is a new prog metal project from former Karnataka and current Hayley Griffiths keyboard player Çağrı Tozluoğlu along with vocalist and guitarist Adam Dunn, who combine effectively on their debut single Swandive. Hints of melodic prog combine with a gritty metallic bite that never overpowers the song.
"The Oculist’s work has been an eclectic musical playground with elements of heavy guitars, electronics, orchestra, ambient textures to drones and the band positions its sound somewhere in the modern metal heartlands," the pair say. Expect more from the duo in the future.
APOTHEUS - SHAPE AND GEOMETRY
Apotheus are a prog metal quartet from Portugal who are on the verge of releasing their third full-length album, Ergo Atlas, through Black Lion Records on September 15. Conceptually linked to 2019's The Far Star album, and inspired by work of Science Fiction legend Isaac Asimov, millions of years after The Far Star mission took place, an artificial intelligence comes up with an ingenious plan that puts life in the Universe at risk
"Shape And Geometry ruthlessly kicks off Ergo Atlas and tells the story of the ascension of an all-powerful being called GODS," the band reveal of their new single. "With a piercing and rhythmic main riff, the music drives forward, capturing the fear and desperation of those caught in GODS' wake. As the song draws to a close, it becomes more contemplative and emotional, describing the aftermath of GODS' ascension and the impact it has on the whole galaxy. We're firm believers this song captures the full might of GODS. Prepare to be crushed!"
