A Random Roundup of New Music
Wednesday, February 18th, 2026
I've written about music here in the Cream Log before when I made a post about The Dear Hunter's album Antimai back in 2022. Since then, I've had ideas to type up other musings about the albums and songs that I listen to, but have decided against it. Usually I think that what I have to say about music probably isn't that important anyway. Even if it were, I'm not some sort of music journalist that knows how to talk about it in fun and interesting ways, so why bother? Well, that kind of thinking isn't going to get me anywhere, now is it? No. The answer is no. Instead, I wanted to try something a little bit different with this post. Today, I'm going to highlight a few recent releases from artists that I want to talk about because...mostly because the music is good and I want to share cool tunes with other folks. Music is always about the community, so this is just a small way I can talk about the stuff I come across and maybe someone who reads this will give it a listen too. A man can only hope
The first release I'm going to talk about is actually an album from two of my friends who have been making music together since high school. I remember the band they were in back then, Chemical Switch (they still have an album called I'm A Little Lost Ridge on Bandcamp if you wanna get distracted from the music I'm gonna talk about), where they made up the rhythm section of a post-hardcore band often compared to La Dispute. Now they are known as the alt-pop duo Octopus Cagefight, with tunes that fill me with nostalgia for a warm summer day as a twelve year old, pop can grasped firmly in my hand as I probably sat inside playing a fucking video game. I'm not gonna lie about being outside. I know who I was. The newest release, normal, is the same shimmery, laid-back vibe I remember from past Octopus Cagefight albums, this time with an extra level of polish in both the production and song writing aspects. This is to be expected after an over five year wait since their last album, the audience is data, released in October, 2020. You can tell that each song had the proper care in every step of the process, resulting in an album that sounds familiar on the first listen, inviting you back to a time when things were normal
Now I'd like to move on to an album that I just randomly came across this morning. It was actually the inspiration for writing this up at all. And when I say that I randomly came across it, I mean that I was scrolling through the newest releases on Bandcamp that had come out today, and this was the first album to pique my interest. I had no idea what I was going to hear when I clicked on the link to the album. All I was going on was the name, artist, and album cover - Perennial by CosineVi. Without knowing anything about the album I was about to listen to, I went in with an open mind, honestly expecting something that wasn't awful, but also wouldn't keep me interested past the first song or two. Thankfully, I was proven wrong immediately by the first song "Mat Zemlya", which starts with what sounds like fuzzy, old radio recordings, the initial synth melodies slowly fading in before an abrupt shift to a glitchy, breakbeat feel. The opening track paves the way for the rest of the album, a journey through ambient textures and drum breaks akin to those heard in old PlayStation racing games set in the "future" with hover cars and shit. If you're looking for a new experimental electronic record made by a small artist from Pittsburgh, check out the link to Perennial below
The last release I want to talk about today is actually just one song. It's also from an artist that I didn't go to high school with or come across randomly on the Bandcamp discover page. This song is from Bloomurian, an electronic music producer and DJ whose music had been showing up in a few playlists with some of my favorite artists like CloZee and Dirtwire. Then I saw the name show up on an Instagram promotion for some show in Denver, which I couldn't go to being someone who lives in Detroit, but I saw Ott and Mindex were playing the show, two other artists whose music I enjoy quite a bit. I popped on over and listened to the most recent album Bloomurian had put out, Ecstatic Ecosystems, which spoke to me as someone who recently found a wonderful community by attending ecstatic dances. Listening to this album gave me chills and I couldn't believe that I hadn't come across his music sooner. It's exactly the kind of trippy, goopy, world bass that I love vibing out to on a relaxing day. When I saw that he had a new song out, "Liminal Landscapes", I dropped everything and listened to it right there in the kitchen. Since then, I have given it a few more proper listens, and when given the chance to describe it on his Instagram post in 3-5 words, I said it was a "tasty ear tickling aural tour"...I stand by that. Alright, I've yapped enough about this song, just go listen to it. It's sooooo goooooooood!!!
Okay, that's going to be it from me for today. I love talking about music and I'm going to try not to shy away from that topic in future posts. Maybe I'll even do more of these little new release round-ups or something. If you liked any of the artists I shared today, consider purchasing their albums on Bandcamp or simply giving them follows on the socials. That helps so much more than you realize. Anyway, I'm gonna get back to finding new music to listen to. See you around!!