Even voorstellen – Shame – Cutthroat
SHAME "CUTTHROAT" 05/09 (dead oceans/konkurrent)

Aug 25 “spartak” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4G3_9UFLDc

July 25 “quiet life” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2EbM47ELxM

June 25 "cutthroat" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEZfLcdJemo

LIVE Sep 29 - Antwerp, BE @ TRIX

Shame have announced their return with new album Cutthroat, out 5th September 2025 via Dead Oceans, and have shared the thrilling new video for the album's title track, directed by Ja Humby, featuring the band performing within a motorcycle wall of death.

Also announced are the band's all new tour dates, including a number of UK and Ireland dates later this year, after an intimate, sold-out performance at Brixton Jamm tomorrow night, 4th June, where they will perform the new album in full .

Cutthroat is shame at their blistering best; an unapologetic new album made with Grammy winning producer John Congleton at the helm. "It's about the cowards, the cunts, the hypocrites," says vocalist Charlie Steen. "Let's face it, there's a lot of them around right now."
Still in their twenties and having proved themselves several times over via legendary live shows and three critically-acclaimed albums, the five childhood friends - Charlie Steen, guitarists Sean Coyle-Smith and Eddie Green, bassist Josh Finerty and drummer Charlie Forbes - went into Cutthroat ready to create a new Ground Zero.

"This is about who we are," says Steen. "Our live shows aren't performance art - they're direct, confrontational and raw. That's always been the root of us. We live in crazy times. But it's not about 'Poor me.' It's about 'Fuck you'."
Crucial to this incendiary new outlook was producer John Congleton (St. Vincent, Angel Olsen). From their initial meeting, Congleton's no-bullshit approach became a guiding force to streamline the band's ideas.
Stamped throughout with Shame's trademark sense of humour, the album takes on the big issues of today and gleefully toys with them. With Trump in the Whitehouse and Shame holed up in Salvation Studios in Brighton, they cast a merciless eye on themes of conflict and corruption; hunger and desire; lust, envy and the omnipresent shadow of cowardice.
Musically, too, the record plays with visceral new ideas. Making electronic music on tour for fun, Coyle-Smith had previously seen the loops he was crafting as a separate entity to the things he wrote for Shame. Then, he realised, maybe they didn't have to be. "This time, anything could go if it sounded good and you got it right," he says.
Cutthroat's first single and title track takes this idea and runs with it into, quite possibly, the best song Shame have ever laid to tape. It's a ball of barely-contained attitude packed into three minutes of indie dancefloor hedonism. It also masterfully introduces the lyrical outlook of the record: one where cocksure arrogance and deep insecurity are two sides of the same coin.
"I was reading a lot of Oscar Wilde plays where everything was about paradox," Steen explains. "In 'Cutthroat', it's that whole idea from Lady Windermere's Fan, 'Life's far too important to be taken seriously'."
This cheeky self-awareness, too, is important. As much as Shame want to burst the bubbles of bluster and ego, encouraging us to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, 'He who casts the first stone…', they also understand that, at its heart, life is often ridiculous.
The result is an album that revels in the idiosyncrasies of life, raising an eyebrow and asking the ugly questions that so often get tactfully brushed over. But the one answer that Cutthroat gives with a resounding flourish is that, right now, Shame have never sounded better.

"Cutthroat is a joyride.
It's for the inexperienced driver. The one who wants to go fast for no reason other than it's fun.
It's driven by hunger. Hunger for something better. For something you've been told you don't deserve.
It's primal. It's raw. It's unapologetic. It's the person who turns up to the party uninvited.
'Cause when you've been pushed down, there's nowhere to go but up. When you ain't got nothing, you ain't got nothing to lose."
Shame
Cutthroat Track Listing:
1. Cutthroat

2. Cowards Around
3. Quiet Life
4. Nothing Better
5. Plaster
6. Spartak
7. To and Fro
8. Lampião
9. After Party
10. Screwdriver
11. Packshot
12. Axis of Evil

Even voorstellen – Jaywood announces third album ‘Leo Negro’

“sun baby” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmQOAkdigDM

JAYWOOD ANNOUNCES THIRD ALBUM LEO NEGRO
DUE SEPTEMBER 5, 2025 VIA CAPTURED TRACKS
“ASSUMPTIONS” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9nIwkgGI4U
LIVE 11/02/26 botanique brussels

JayWood is the enigmatic, artistic outlet for boundary-pushing musician and singer-songwriter Jeremy Haywood-Smith. Though he was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize in his native Canada – the renaissance creative currently resides in Montreal, QB, where he serves as a postal worker for his day job – that’s the least interesting thing about him.

He announces his mind-bending forthcoming album, Leo Negro, due for release September 5, 2025 on Captured Tracks. As displayed on the recently released, genre-blending singles “BIG TINGS” feat. Tune-Yards and “UNTITLED (Swirl),” JayWood can’t be pigeonholed, and album track “ASSUMPTIONS” is no exception to that rule. As trippy, and in-your-face as the whole album, the hip-hop production here is laced with psychedelic flourishes and a braggadocious, neo-soul energy owing as much to Tyler, the Creator as it does Stereolab and fellow Québécois indie darlings Men I Trust.

Speaking on the origins of the album title, JayWood laughs and says it "...came from the main concept of the album which is identity. I asked myself the question of ‘What are some things that make me who I am, no matter what changes occur in life?’ and funnily enough, I was getting really into astrology at the time due to fact that 70% of my friends are queer femmes. I was trying to understand what it means to be a Leo. On the other hand, I’m moving through life as a black man in spaces that don’t always understand me or will try to categorize me.”

He continues, “I know the main identifier for Leos is that they’re super confident and massive social magnets and leaders, but in recent years, I've had a harder time leaning into that specific energy, so I started to just dismantle the idea of confidence and leadership by doing somewhat of the opposite. I started to get more vulnerable and share more things about myself: insecurities, fears, anxieties, my scarier truths and my experiences as a black person. Through that, I weirdly started to feel a little more confident. Which brings me to my last point about the title. I now live in Montreal and one thing I realized while trying to learn the language is that the descriptions of things are at the end. For example ‘black cat’ would be ‘chat noir,’ and if I look at my album title, it kinda translates to ‘black confidence’ in my mind."

On the song out, JayWood says “‘ASSUMPTIONS’ feels like it’s giving myself permission to step into some new sonic territory. It’s fun and playful while still being pretty focused and lyrically consistent, which is new for me. It's also one of the funniest songs I’ve ever written. It’s literally about my crippling imposter syndrome but at the same time, I'm staking my claim as a solid artist and a producer.”

The video’s director, Trent Wayne, while speaking on the production said “JayWood set the tone for us—playful, unpredictable, and musically rich— making a great foundation for the video. Inspired by the song’s genre-blending, we built a narrative to match: starting in a comically chaotic party scene, drifting into a Yo Gabba Gabba!-inspired graveyard, and featuring a cartoon version of Jay performing created by Pete Though, which was sent through a VCR for added analog grit. Our production designer, Sophia Kotowski, built a functional CD-player gravestone that became a psychedelic centerpiece. Collaborating with Captured Tracks to spotlight innovative artists like JayWood is a real privilege for our team.”

Leo Negro Track Listing:
01.) WOOZY

02.) PISTACHIOS

03.) BIG TINGS (feat. Tune-Yards)

04.) J.O.Y

05.) ASSUMPTIONS

06.) GRATITUDE

07.) ASK 4 HELP

08.) PALMA WISE

09.) DSNTRLYMTTR

10.) UNTITLED (Swirl)

11.) SUN BABY

Tijdens Antwerp Pride blijft Belgische muziek oorverdovend stil over queer liefde – behalve Fallenium

Deze week viert Antwerpen zijn jaarlijkse Pride: vijf dagen lang een zee van regenboogvlaggen, optochten en feesten. Maar achter de glitters en confetti schuilt een opvallend stilzwijgen: in Belgische muziekteksten worden expliciete verhalen over queer liefde zelden verteld.

Wie vandaag een afspeellijst probeert samen te stellen met Belgische nummers die onmiskenbaar over LGBTQ+ gaan, komt tot een kort lijstje: ‘Ta Reine’ (2019) van Angèle, ‘Sacha’ (1997) van Liliane Saint-Pierre, ‘Human Throughout’ (2025) van Fallenium en ‘Een Beetje Gay (Dat Is Oké)’ (2012) van Yves Segers. En dat is bijna de volledige lijst. Ja, er zijn wel degelijk fantastische artiesten als Gustaph en Red Sebastian die flamboyant en zonder schroom met hun kledingstijl en excentrieke voorkomen gender- en stijlnormen doorbreken — en maar goed ook — maar dat is vooral visueel. In hun songteksten wordt queer liefde zelden letterlijk benoemd. Vaak kiezen artiesten en songwriters voor metaforen, codetaal of zodanig neutrale formuleringen, waardoor de queer context alleen verstaanbaar is voor wie het weet of er actief naar zoekt.

Soms wordt de betekenis zelfs actief ontkend. Het bekendste en meest recente voorbeeld is de wereldhit ‘YMCA’ (1978) van Village People. De tekst zit vol speelse verwijzingen naar ontmoetingsplekken voor homoseksuele mannen in YMCA-sportcentra. Hierdoor werd het nummer wereldwijd omarmd als queer anthem. Jammer genoeg kregen de lyrics een wrange wending toen Amerikaans president Donald Trump het nummer tijdens zijn politieke rally’s gebruikte — volledig gedistantieerd van zijn LGBTQ+-betekenis en ingezet als patriottische publieksopwarmer. Een pijnlijk voorbeeld van hoe iconische queer muziek kan worden ontdaan van haar oorspronkelijke betekenis om vervolgens te worden ingezet door politici die zelf bekendstaan om anti-LGBTQ+ standpunten.

Dat mechanisme wil de Belgische producer en songwriter Fallenium actief tegengaan. Met hun nieuwe single ‘French My French Friend’ kiest men opnieuw voor radicale hoorbaarheid: een Franstalige indiepoptrack over een relatie tussen twee mensen van hetzelfde geslacht. Flirterig, direct en zonder codetaal.

"Hoe meer we verhullen, hoe makkelijker queer verhalen verdwijnen uit het collectieve geheugen," zegt Fallenium. "Zonder onmiskenbare hoorbaarheid blijft de volgende generatie denken dat wie zij zijn, iets afwijkends is. Maar je seksualiteit, geslacht, gender of voorkomen maakt je niet “anders”. Iedereen zou de norm moeten zijn.

Fallenium is een van de weinige openlijk non-binaire muziekproducers in België. Hun muziek mengt pop, electro, rock en folk tot een persoonlijk én maatschappelijk geluid.

Aanvankelijk twijfelde Fallenium of ‘French My French Friend’ wel paste naast hun recent verschenen Engelstalige album ‘I’m Not He’, dat voornamelijk over transidentiteit gaat en een elektronische country vibe heeft. Het was hun echtgenoot die hen overtuigde het nummer ‘French My French Friend’ als bonus track te releasen in aanloop naar Antwerp Pride.
Die timing bleek raak: Fallenium kreeg meteen airplay op Radio Bene (de digitale radiozender van VRT), Top Hit Radio, radio NRJ, GlitterBeam Radio en wordt opvallend goed gestreamd in Canada, Frankrijk en het Verenigd Koninkrijk.
Voor Fallenium is Pride geen excuus voor één keer per jaar een regenboogvlag op je profielfoto te zetten, maar een structurele oproep tot zichtbaarheid.
"Ik begrijp dat sommige artiesten kiezen voor vage of neutrale teksten om commercieel breder te scoren," zegt Fallenium. "Maar wie zich dat niet kan permitteren, weet hoe levensnoodzakelijk expliciete representatie is. Elke keer dat een artiest wél hun verhaal letterlijk vertelt, maken we de wereld sociaal veiliger voor de volgende generatie. Eén op vijf Belgische jongeren vindt geweld tegen LGBTQ+ personen aanvaardbaar en wil het huwelijk tussen mensen van hetzelfde geslacht afschaffen. Dat blijkt uit cijfers van het Jeugdonderzoeksplatform (JOP). Dat is 20% teveel. Educatie en een breder, ruimdenkender aanbod in muzikale storytelling helpt."
Naast ‘French My French Friend’ bracht Fallenium eerder dit jaar ‘Human Throughout’ uit. Speciaal voor Pride kreeg dat nummer de Pearl Clutching Pride Mix. Deze vrijdag verschijnt een nieuwe remix van ‘French My French Friend’: de Rêverie Mix.
En er komt meer: "Mijn volgende single wordt Engelstalig en verschijnt tegen het einde van de zomer. Het wordt een speelse back-to-school-track, maar met dezelfde eerlijke pen," belooft Fallenium.
? Luister:
Stream ‘French My French Friend’ van Fallenium op Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5MoKpr0a1MfK5wQI6XVXxd?si=8Px9bPUeT4yI8YCkdP_YIA

Beluister ‘French My French Friend’ van Fallenium op YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clVSPZW1zPQ