The Machine Premiere “Swallow the Sun” Video
The Machine have eight albums, and for those who’ve never gotten on board, the best place to start is the latest of them, Another Sun. Sure, there’s a broader in-catalog context to the self-recorded five-track/43-minute offering — they’ve been a band for nearly 20 years; that’s bound to happen — and even the title is a partial reference to 2009’s Solar Corona (discussed here), their second record that was something of a figure-it-out moment. But if the sense one might get from that bit of trivia is that the Rotterdam three-piece led by founding guitarist/vocalist David Eering have stepped backward, that’s simply not the case.
Another Sun ties together the thread of The Machine‘s progression over the better part of the last two decades and distills their approach to craft some of the most memorable songs they’ve ever written. From the sitar-inclusive opening of “Drop/See,” which I’m just going to assume is tuned to drop C, to the drums holding on into the crickets at the end of “Echo Through,” Eering, bassist Chris Both and drummer Klaas Dijkstra hone a sound that is expansive in its psychedelia, hypnotic in its jams and, especially across the three-song side A, still able to nail a hook like that of “In Search of Yellow” or the speedier “Evolver” just before. Even the central riff of “Drop/See,” never mind the mellow/watery-vocal chorus, is catchy.
At the same time, they showcase a propensity for jamming that feels intentional on multiple fronts — like the songs were both constructed out of the jams and written to give space for exploration in the performance — somewhat echoing earlier heavy psych, but with a warm, modern sound and style. They’re not reinventing the heavy-psychedelic Riff, but if you pay attention they just might remind you what you loved about it in the first place.
This comes through even in the way Another Sun is ordered, so that side A moves toward its most straightforward inclusion in the album centerpiece “In Search of Yellow,” which is something of a progressive fuzz rocker’s daydream, as deeply weighted in the bass as it is floating in the guitar, broad in sound and grounded in structure, only after setting up an expectation of interplay between hooks and jams on “Drop/See” and “Evolver.” In that pair, the jammy propensity is hinted at in Eering‘s extended solos, which evolve and take shape over instrumental processions that, in the opener’s case, builds to a crescendo that answers back to the song’s earlier verse/chorus movement while at the same time having shaped something different from it. “Evolver,” which takes a minute to catch its breath before launching into its careening riff, and to his credit, Dijkstra keeps the energy level high as before even the halfway point the guitar takes off on a willful wander, like a more lysergic Earthless with all the expanse and shred, but still turning back to finish with that earlier riff, giving a sense of songwriting and completion to 
underscore the band’s maturity and clearly conveyed awareness of their purpose. They know what they’re doing.
“In Search of Yellow” is a nexus for Another Sun, both a landing and a launchpoint, and at five and a half minutes, there’s still enough of it to feel consistent in atmosphere with “Drop/See” and “Evolver,” ending instrumental and topped with a solo as it does. But it’s tighter in its adherance to structure and, again, aware of its function in terms of the whole-album listening experience in ways that I can only call emblematic of mastery. And what it ‘launches’ into is the side B pairing of “Swallow the Sun” (video premiering below) and “Echo Through,” which together comprise more than half the album’s runtime and expand on the structured/jammed dichotomy that side A lays out.
Not only is this shift in intent conveyed through the fact that both “Swallow the Sun” and “Echo Through” are over 11 minutes long, but between them as well, there’s a sense of going far and then further out. Eering‘s vocals become more of a part of the ambience in the way-chill early going of the finale, definitely there but vague enough to almost feel imaginary amid the tonal presence of the guitar and bass. “Swallow the Sun,” then, is something of a transition point between “In Search of Yellow” and that goes-and-doesn’t-look-back capper, and among its fellow tracks, it’s the point at which Another Sun most reveals the core of what makes it such an engrossing listen. It’s an old formula, admittedly — songs that jam, jams that song — but The Machine feel not only like they’re tapping into the roots of what the likes of Colour Haze innovated in terms of shaping heavy psychedelia, but that they’re doing so with a much fresher point of view than phrases like “it’s their eighth album” and “been a band for 19 years” could ever hope to convey.
That is to say, this material across the span of Another Sun is vibrant, and energetic even unto its laid-backest reaches. Out of everything a new The Machine record could be, it chooses to be definitive. Its priorities are in engaging its audience, in conveying a sense of journey but also staying grounded to the task before it. It’s not about summarizing everything the band has done before, but in the notion that everything Eering and the company he’s kept over the years have learned has led to The Machine becoming this; to being so assured in their delivery and confident in their aesthetic stance, acknowledging expectation on the part of audience and genre and wilfully surpassing it every step of the way. I don’t want to give over to the impulse toward hyperbole, but Another Sun is a special moment for The Machine and throughout it they sound ready to take their place among the foremost of Europe’s heavy psychedelic underground. For that alone — even before you get to the guitar tone or the flash on the cymbals — it is gorgeous in how it greets the sunrise of its own making.
Or if you want the short version: Recommended.
“Swallow the Sun” premieres on the player below, followed by more from the PR wire and more A/V and links down toward the bottom of the post.
Please enjoy:
The Machine, “Swallow the Sun” video premiere
David Eering on “Swallow the Sun”:
“‘Swallow the Sun’ indeed. It comes at you right out of the gate and it’s both the heaviest and most spaced out we’ve been in a while. The shoegaze influences that started to shine through on our previous record return with the MBV-inspired guitar parts in the verses, only to be put aside for the demolition team to come in and tear the place down during the chorus and the main riff. The instrumental section is typical oldschool The Machine-play-with-dynamics I’d say, based around Klaas’ great drum groove. Let the hypnotic video be your trip guide!”
Preorder link: https://linktr.ee/themachinenl
“Another Sun is an important milestone to me personally, after a couple of years with (apparent) reduced activity of the band – it‘s the first record with this great lineup and the first one that I recorded at my own place Evolver Studio,“ David Eering comments. “Without the intention to do so, I think we managed to honor a more old school The Machine vibe while also stepping into the future. Can’t wait for this one to be released and to play shows in support of it.”
Recorded in the fall of 2025 at Evolver Studio, Eering’s newly built recording facility in Dordrecht, Another Sun captures what is arguably the strongest incarnation of THE MACHINE to date. Intricate in groove and rich in dynamic songwriting, the album digs deeper into classic heavy-toned songcraft while leaving ample room for the free-flowing jams that have always been central to the band’s identity. Rather than reinventing themselves, THE MACHINE sharpen their unmistakable sonic fingerprint, reconnecting with the freeform spirit of their early work through a modern lens. They took their time to mature, only to return stronger, heavier and more inspired than ever.
Another Sun is out October 02, 2026:
In Europe via Awe Records w/ Stickman Records
In North America & UK via Blues Funeral Recordings
Album recorded at Evolver Studio
Album art by @_davidlebowski
Another Sun Tracklist:
1. Drop/See (8;14)
2. Evolver (7:20)
3. In Search of Yellow (5:33)
4. Swallow the Sun (11:08)
5. Echo Through (11:05)
THE MACHINE is:
David Eering: Guitars, vocals, sitar, synthesizers, theremin, percussion
Chris Both: Bass guitar
Klaas Dijkstra: Drums, Percussion
The Machine, “Drop/See” official video
The Machine, Another Sun (2026)
Blues Funeral Recordings website
Blues Funeral Recordings on Bandcamp
Blues Funeral Recordings on Instagram
Blues Funeral Recordings on Facebook
Tags: Another Sun, Awe Records, Blues Funeral Recordings, Rotterdam, Stickman Records, The Machine, The Machine Another Sun, The Netherlands
A truly magnificent band, worthy of far more praise and success than they are given.
I have absolutely everything crossed that they will be playing a show near me.
If you have any pull, JJ, please beg them for a show somewhere in the middle of France!