Spirit Mother were in Europe last summer to tour, and that stint included shows with the likes of King Buffalo and Colour Haze. They released Songs From the Basin (review here) as a brief glimpse at their capacity for reinterpreting material as well as demonstrating the root from which at least some of their songs spring — acoustic strum and melodymaking. After putting out their second album, Trails (review here), through Heavy Psych Sounds in Fall 2024, the band announced this past December they’d signed to Sound of Liberation Records for their third LP, which is apparently called Thistle and will be released sometime later this year.

The band posted some shots from recording — you can see one below (credit to David Jacob) — and you’ll note Chase Howard joining the lineup. You might know Howard from playing with Kadabra in Washington, but that band just a couple weeks ago announced he was leaving. I’m not sure if he’s permanently in Spirit Mother or was doing it as a session thing, but he’s a killer drummer anyhow and isn’t somebody likely to make your band worse. They thank him for “stepping in,” which says not-permanent to me, but I don’t want to read too much into it and feel dumb later, so there you go.

I have no word on a release date or the tour plans and obviously those would be the two foremost questions in mind, apart from “can I hear it yet?,” which I guess is obvious. The rest, when I see, I’ll say.

Have at it:

Hello friends! Our 3rd album “Thistle” will be out this Fall with @soundofliberationrecords 🥀 recorded at SJ and Armand’s home in the High Desert of Eastern Oregon. The band came out for a week of tracking and it was one for the damn 📚 S/o to @drumsplaychase for stepping in for these sessions and CRUSHING the drums! Here’s a few shots from our week of recording, more soon.

📸: @dave.nyhc

https://www.spiritmotherofficial.com/
https://spiritmother.bandcamp.com/
https://linktr.ee/spiritmother
https://www.instagram.com/spiritmotherband/
https://www.facebook.com/SpiritMotherBand/

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https://www.soundofliberation.com/
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Spirit Mother, Songs From the Basin (2025)

“For the Life of Me” — which both asks and answers the question posed by the band via “I couldn’t remember why we started this whole thing in the first place” below — is the second Ruff Majik single since the South African four-piece made a return from months of hiatus in January’s wee hours with “Can of Wyrms” (posted here). It starts out with a slick bluesy groove and that is perhaps what’s setting the tone for the guest solo from guitarist/solo-artist Dan Patlansky, who sits in here where Slomosa‘s Benjamin Berdous joined the fray for “Can of Wyrms.”

And it was a fray. So is the new song, with shades of Greenleaf‘s heavy sway run through Ruff Majik‘s desert-hued color filter, an anthemic hook and due shove. “For the Life of Me” feels like it’s bashing away, and it is for a little bit there, but the amount of heart and urgency the band pack into the three-and-a-half-minute track gets to the core of what this band is able to do, and so feels all the more like a ‘welcome back’ moment.

Live activity is happening, noted below as hoisted from social media:

Chaos has always been a friend to Ruff Majik.

At some point, it became part of our marrow and blood too.

For the life of me, I couldn’t remember why we started this whole thing in the first place.

I remember now.

Mixed by Justin Bernardo
Mastered by Bobby Johnson, Rebirth Music
Released via Sound Of Liberation Records
Dan Patlansky – Guest solo

public service announcement.
don’t be a fuckhead.
love your fellow humans.
see you in the pit.
@daisyjonesbar – 7 March
[redacted] – 13 March

Ruff Majik:
Johni Holiday – Lyrics, vocals, guitar
Brendon Bez – Guitar
Jimmy Glass – Bass
Steven “Boz” Bosman – Drums, percussion, programming

http://www.ruffmajik.com
https://www.tiktok.com/@ruffmajik
http://www.instagram.com/ruffmajik
https://www.facebook.com/ruffmajik

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Ruff Majik, “For the Life of Me”

Ruff Majik, “Can of Wyrms”

Preorders for the new single from Germany’s Kant are up now through Sound of Liberation Records — the label wing of the European booking concern — and the track is streaming at the bottom of this post if you’ve two-plus minutes for a mood adjustment toward the positive. Not that “Qualm” doesn’t have its edge of severity, but the Aschaffenburg four-piece blow it out in the style of their garage rock forebears with a sound that is no less a shove than it is trippy. It doesn’t need to be one or the other, and if that’s a thing you’d appreciate a reminder of, I’d also recommend listening.

2024’s Paranoia Pilgrimage (review here) hinted toward metal in their sound, but “Qualm” seems to push back on that (and whatever else is in its path) with a proto-punkish by-the-time-you’re-hooked-it’s-ending shove. I could go on here but the bottom line is I’m posting it because I think it might make your day better. There. I said the thing.

From the PR wire:

Heavy Psych Rockers KANT Release New Single “QUALM”!

After more than a year on tour, German heavy psychedelic quartet KANT return with a new single titled “QUALM”, marking the first glimpse of their next creative chapter. The track is out now via Sound of Liberation Records.

While the vintage rock approach that dominated Paranoia Pilgrimage still lingers in the background, “QUALM” pushes the band into rougher, louder, and more restless territory. The atmosphere remains dark, but the edges feel sharper and more urgent, hinting at a band in motion rather than reflection.

Stream / Download “QUALM” here: https://orcd.co/prjdda5

The band comments:
“Qualm is omnipresent. Whether on the street, in a bar, or in your head. It’s the love–hate relationship between yourself and the haze that not only surrounds you but consumes you. Because of this, Qualm works in both German and English. While the word is a synonym for ‘smoke’ in German, in English it translates to ‘doubt’ or ‘a bad feeling.’ That is precisely what the song is meant to convey sonically.”

This dual meaning is deeply embedded in the track’s sonic character, where swirling psychedelia, driving rhythms, and a sense of unease collide into a dense, intoxicating haze.

“QUALM” will be also released as a 7-inch vinyl single. On the B-side, listeners will find the track “Vicious Circle”, previously available only online, making this the first physical release to feature the band’s full catalogue to date.

Pre-order the Vinyl edition from the Sound of Liberation Records webstore now at: https://shop.soundofliberation.com/products/kant-qualm-vicious-circle-7-single

KANT is a heavy psychedelic band hailing from the underground music scene of Aschaffenburg, Germany. Formed in 2020, the band has quickly established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the genre, known for their intense live performances and mind-bending soundscapes.

Drawing inspiration from the psychedelic alternative scene of the late 60s and 70s, as well as the heavy metal and doom of the 80s and 90s, KANT creates a unique sound that blends distorted guitars, pounding drums, and swirling melodies with haunting vocals and experimental noise. Highly recommended for fans of King Gizzard & The Wizard Lizard, Witchcraft, Pentagram, Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats, Kadavar or Hällas!

KANT live:
13.02.2026 (DE) Frankfurt – Engelsburg
14.02.2026 (DE) Bielefeld – Blues Bar

KANT is:
Marius Seidel – Guitar, Vocals
Nicolas Jordan – Guitar, Vocals
Elena Strähle – Bass
Bryan Göbel – Drums

https://www.kant-band.com
https://kantband.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/kant_band
https://www.facebook.com/kantband

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https://soundofliberation.bandcamp.com
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Kant, “Qualm”

I saw a video the other day wherein Spirit Mother, or at least the portion of it comprised of guitarist/vocalist Armand Lance and violinist/vocalist SJ, talk about some of their plans for next year and note, as Lance holds their baby, that part of the reason they haven’t been on tour as much in 2025 (though they did do a sizable European stint this past summer) is because they made a human. Fair.

In that same clip, which I attempted to embed below, mostly just because it’s nice to see people happy with a baby, they talk about how it’s time to knuckle down and start writing an album. Also fair. Spirit Mother put out a Lance/SJ two-songer earlier this year called Songs From the Basin (review here), but their most recent album is 2024’s Trails (review here). That’s not that old but for an internationally touring unit looking to keep momentum on their side and grow their audience, yeah, 2026 will probably be time for a follow-up.

At least we know what label it’ll be on as they’ve aligned with the label wind of European heavy booking agency Sound of Liberation for their next release. I’ll call the moment they’re facing crucial, because I genuinely believe in this band’s songwriting and think it’s time for them to really make a record that’s front-to-back the best they can. Trails and the prior 2020 debut, Cadets (review here), showed a distinctive growth in craft and atmosphere, a range of moods and an ability to make a song memorable. If they can manage to step forward in this regard, I think it would be reasonable to say they’re living up to their potential, but it’s got to be a next-level kind of collection, which is exactly what I have faith they can put together.

Here’s looking forward:

⚡SPIRIT MOTHER ⚡

We’re thrilled to welcome Spirit Mother to Sound of Liberation Records!

Spirit Mother create heavy rock shaped through a folk-informed and classical lens. We’re incredibly happy to have them on board and can’t wait to share their new music with the world.

Welcome to the family, Spirit Mother!

Spirit Mother are:
Armand Lance: Vocals, Bass, Baritone, Acoustic & Electric Guitars
SJ: Violin & Vocals
Sean McCormick: Electric Guitar
Landon Cisneros: Drums & Percussion

 

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Spirit Mother, Songs From the Basin (2025)

Admittedly, I’m not getting “band is done forever” vibes off Ruff Majik‘s somewhat vague breakup post. Some bands lay it all out — this is what happened, who what where when, etc. — but Ruff Majik founding guitarist/vocalist Johni Holiday is lighter on details: “…I want to live. I want to survive whatever this is. I want to feel, without bleeding for it.”

Mental health has been at play for Ruff Majik all the while, sometimes with emphasis on ‘play.’ Their two most recent albums, last Fall’s Moth Eater (review here) and 2023’s Elektrik Ram (review here), certainly put the theme forward, and chaos has been a friend of the South African rockers for the last decade. If you shake hard enough, eventually the wheels are going to come off. If they need to stop before that happens, it’s a commendable thing that they’re stopping.

But there’s no “done forever” here. The word ‘hiatus’ isn’t used, and Holiday is one to choose words carefully if you’ve ever read his lyrics, but it’s pretty clear he and Ruff Majik aren’t disappearing forever so much as stepping back and sorting out what they feel like needs sorting. Holiday, joined in the band by bassist/sometimes-vocalist Jimmy Glass, guitarist/sometimes-vocalist Cowboy Bez and drummer Steven Bosman, recently opened a venue, Sowaar Bar, in Pretoria, and surely that’s going to eat up some of your available-otherwise-for-anything hours. And between that, life, and the state of the world, taking care of yourself can sometimes require radical action. Ruff Majik were never strangers to being rad.

I included a couple links above. I could’ve included more. Going back to their early EPs, Ruff Majik‘s brash, attitude-laced and readily transgressive desert-heavy rock undertook a special, distinctive and honest progression. Whether that’s all the way done or not — and if we’re placing bets, I’m going with “not” — if it’s done for now, that’s an ending worth marking on the way to whatever the future might bring, even if that’s nothing.

Either way, I’m really, really glad I got to see this band the one time I did. Here’s looking forward to the next one.

From social media:

2015 – ♾️

For years now I’ve been pushing through grief, exhaustion, heartbreak, sickness, and occasional self-sabotage. Now, for the sake of myself, I need to stop.

I don’t know what happens next — and I think that’s okay.

What I do know is that I want to live. I want to survive whatever this is. I want to feel, without bleeding for it.

We’ll see each other again somewhere in a dimly lit dive bar. We’ll sing together again. Until then, thank you for everything.

— Johni Holiday

Ruff Majik are:
Johni Holiday (vocals & guitar)
Cowboy Bez (guitar & vocals)
Jimmy Glass (bass)
Steven Bosman (drums)

http://www.ruffmajik.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089579216305&mibextid=ZbWKwL
http://www.instagram.com/ruffmajik
https://www.tiktok.com/@ruffmajik

https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
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Ruff Majik, Moth Eater (2024)

Ruff Majik, “Wasted Youth” lyric video

Ruff Majik, “Cult Eyes” official video