In February, there was an extremely wide range of music for every taste, so this time the article is filled with different genres so that none of them is repeated twice. Although even this approach will not fully reflect the rich repertoire of the last month of winter. We deliberately passed by Usher’s new album, opting for other pop and R&B album, and also ignored the joint project fool Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign. In general, it turned out to be a very eclectic selection — from straightforward pop to uncompromising deathcore. Read more about the music releases of February that interested us the most in the article below.
Content
- 1 KMFDM — Let Go
- 2 Afterme — Epiphany
- 3 Chelsea Wolfe — She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She
- 4 The Last Ten Seconds of Life — No Name Graves
- 5 Jennifer Lopez — This Is Me… Now
- 6 Mother Mother — Grief Chapter
- 7 Steve Hackett — The Circus and the Nightwhale
- 8 Tinlicker — Cold Enough for Snow
- 9 Amaranthe — The Catalyst
- 10 Allie X — Girl with No Face
KMFDM — Let Go
Genre: industrial rock, electro-industrial
Release date: February 2
Number of tracks: 11
Where to listen: Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music
The new, already 23rd full-length work by the industrialists KMFDM habitually combines expressive electronics and guitars, lighthearted dance rhythmicity and melodic guitar solos, male and female vocals. There are also songs in the style of Bomfunk MC’s (Push!), Oomph! (Erlkönig) and even, very unexpectedly, a track with reggae elements (WW 2023).
This musical cocktail with a slight longing for the 80s sounds surprisingly incendiary and harmonious, especially the tracks Let Go and Touch we are recommended. Not bad for a band that celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.
Afterme — Epiphany
Genre: metalcore
Release date: February 9
Number of tracks: 10
Where to listen: Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music
If you missed a good meaty metalcore, then the new album from, what is especially nice, the Odessa-based band Afterme — is just what you need. Suffice it to say that you can listen to it literally in one breath — the guys did their best to create a really high-quality product. With this, it’s not a shame to conquer European or American major festivals with an audience of thousands.
But all this will happen after the war. For now, we would like to inform everyone interested that the band is planning to perform in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro and Kyiv — on March 15, 16, 17 and April 6, respectively.
Chelsea Wolfe — She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She
Genre: darkwave
Release date: February 9
Number of tracks: 10
Where to listen: Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music
A good portion of gloom is offered by the Californian songwriter and singer Chelsea Wolfe on her seventh LP. Through all this uncomfortable electronics and sad mood, Chelsea’s gentle voice breaks through, which is the center of the local psychedelic microcosm. Obviously, this bizarre material is intended exclusively for connoisseurs of the genre and those who are able to enjoy the darkness in dark times.
The Last Ten Seconds of Life — No Name Graves
Genre: deathcore
Release date: February 9
Number of tracks: 10
Where to listen: Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music
Fans of concentrated gesture were not left without something interesting in February. The harsh Mansfield deathcore band The Last Ten Seconds of Life released their seventh full-length album.
Everything here is as it should be within the genre — furious extreme, machine-gun bursts of blast beats, metalcore breakdowns, powerful guitars. Through this furious wall of rattling and screeching, it seems, once even a quite melodic guitar solo breaks through, but you should not expect compromises: this music is quite suitable for festivals in hell.
Mother Mother — Grief Chapter
Genre: indie rock
Release date: February 16
Number of tracks: 12
Where to listen: Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music
Also, on February 16, Mother Mother released their ninth album, the title of which reminds us of last year’s movie with Jennifer Lopez. But these small coincidences are all that the mega-popular American singer and the Vancouver indie rockers have in common.
The Canadian band has long been able to find its own style, which is difficult to confuse with anyone else. These guys and girls can change the tempo/mood within one track; what can we say about a full album, which contains a whole palette of emotions and feelings. We especially recommend paying attention to the tracks Explode!, Forever and The Matrix (Keanu Reeves probably cringed somewhere in the world).
Steve Hackett — The Circus and the Nightwhale
Genre: progressive rock
Release date: February 16
Number of tracks: 13
Where to listen: Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music
For those who appreciate melodic guitar sound, in February we offer you to get acquainted with the 28th solo album by the former member of Genesis and GTR, the legendary English guitarist Steve Hackett.
The Circus and the Nightwhale — is an extremely atmospheric, somewhat melancholic and full of virtuoso guitar solos work from a true master. Here, he combines elements of such styles as jazz fusion and blues, alternates calm ballads (Ghost Moon and Living Love is unsurpassed) with energetic prog rock, and guitar solos sometimes give way to incendiary saxophone (Taking You Down). Not a musical album, but a solid theatrical performance for the ears.
Tinlicker — Cold Enough for Snow
Genre: house, trance
Release date: February 16
Number of tracks: 13
Where to listen: Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music
The fourth full-length work by the Dutch duo Tinlicker is a collection of danceable electronic tracks, some of which make you want to visit the dance floor (even if it’s imaginary), and some of which are soothing. Suitable for taking in the car and listening to quietly while traveling, if you are a fan of the genre, of course.
Although the album’s colorful cover suggests that it’s cold enough for snow, we shouldn’t forget that spring is just around the corner.
Amaranthe — The Catalyst
Genre: power metal, electronicore
Release date: February 23
Number of tracks: 12
Where to listen: Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music
What the Swedish metal band Amaranthe does very well is to combine the seemingly incompatible. The majestic power metal sound and frankly danceable pop motifs — are there. Beautiful female and no less strong male vocals alternate with furious extreme — check. Juicy guitar riffs and expressive electronics — no problems. Heavy aggression and incendiary fun wander side by side. It’s amazing how a cocktail of such components results not in a continuous cacophony, but in something really explosive.
The band’s trademarks are found on their seventh LP, The Catalyst, which looks like one of the best releases of the month, in the humble opinion of the author of these lines. This extremely energetic work rushes through the mind like a hurricane and leaves no chance for sadness.
Allie X — Girl with No Face
Genre: synth-pop, cold wave
Release date: February 23
Number of tracks: 11
Where to listen: Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music
In her third studio album, Canadian singer Allie X turns to the distinctive synth-pop sound resuscitated from the 80s. In an interview, the singer admitted that although she may have created something that off-trend, but it is something that she enjoy.
In response, I would like to say only the following: to hell with those trends, if your music is of high quality. And the retro aesthetics of Girl with No Face are really fascinating: the album is atmospheric and full of emotions, and Allie X’s sonorous vocals simply cannot leave you indifferent.