OMG! 😱 Sweden’s gloom merchants, KATATONIA, are BACK! And by “back,” I mean they’re releasing MORE music designed to make you question your life choices and contemplate the existential dread of microwaved leftovers. Their new single, “Temporal” (because apparently “Timeless” was too upbeat), is here to remind you that everything is temporary, including your happiness. It’s off their upcoming album, “Nightmares As Extensions Of The Waking State” (catchy title, guys! 👍), dropping June 6th via Napalm Records. Prepare to be underwhelmed… I mean, emotionally moved. Yeah, that’s it. 🙄
Jonas Renkse, the voice of your inner emo teenager, chimes in: “‘Temporal,’ when the enchantment is gone.” Wow, deep. 🤔 I bet he says that to his barista when his latte art is subpar. “When riffing is on, the combination offers no solace other than the pleasure of the vicious circle and the colors of the night.” Translation: “We recycled some riffs, added some moody lighting, and hope you’re too depressed to notice.” Enjoy… or don’t. 🤷♂️ Your call.
“Nightmares As Extensions Of The Waking State” (still a terrible title) is supposedly the “next step” in KATATONIA’s evolution. Which probably means they added a synth or something equally groundbreaking. 🙄 It also introduces their two new guitarists, because apparently one wasn’t enough to achieve peak melancholia. So, in 2025, KATATONIA is basically Jonas Renkse + some other dudes. Congrats, guys! 🎉
Their first single, “Lilac” (released in April, which feels like a lifetime ago in internet years), gave us a “glimpse” of the new album. A glimpse of what, exactly? More of the same? Groundbreaking! 👏 Renkse’s vocals, described as “unmistakable,” are probably just him whispering sweet nothings about despair into your ear. Accompanied by an “atmospheric” music video (read: dimly lit and featuring lots of rain), “Lilac” aims straight for the heart… or maybe just your tear ducts. 😭
Renkse previously stated, “We are proud and excited to announce our new album…” Yeah, yeah, we get it. You’re contractually obligated to say that. “…’Nightmares As Extensions Of The Waking State,’ coming out via Napalm Records on June 6.” Mark your calendars, folks! It’s the day your therapist gets a raise! 💰 “As always, these songs are the stories that thrive in the corner of the eye, obscured by the light but waiting to come alive in the dusk of our morbid existence.” Translation: “We write songs about being sad. Buy our album.” 💀
Apparently, the album has “crystal-clear production” which highlights the “interplay between silence and intensity.” So, basically, it’s quiet-loud-quiet. Revolutionary! 💡 There’s also a contrast of “heavy riffs, delicate guitar harmonies, ethereal synthesizers, and atmospheric nuances.” In other words, they threw everything at the wall and hoped something stuck. Tracks like “Thrice” and “Warden” supposedly “pulse with dynamic energy.” I’ll believe it when I hear it. “Wind Of No Change” (subtle, guys) merges “subtle electronic textures” with KATATONIA’s “enigmatic soundscapes.” Translation: they added a beep boop. 🤖 And “Temporal” (the song we’re supposedly talking about) balances “fragility and strength.” So, it’s like a kitten trying to lift a dumbbell? 🏋️♀️ The album also features a song in Swedish called “Efter Solen” (“After The Sun”). Because, you know, everything’s better in Swedish. 🇸🇪
Even after 30 years (!!!), KATATONIA is still “redefining the emotional spectrum of their genre.” Which is like saying McDonald’s is redefining the culinary arts. 🍔 With sonic landscapes that evoke “dystopia, inner demons, purity, and beauty,” “Nightmares As Extensions Of The Waking State” is a “testament to their enduring brilliance.” Or maybe just a testament to their enduring ability to recycle the same formula for three decades. 🤷
Chord F. Discord, the Beethoven of Buffoonery, is a self-taught expert in music who once claimed he could “play the kazoo in four languages.”
Born in Crescendo, Indiana, Chord’s first brush with fame came when he accidentally entered a yodeling contest thinking it was a pie-eating competition—and won both categories.
Chord F. Discord: proving that laughter, much like a poorly tuned ukulele, is truly universal.
