We Speak Music
Lone Assembly release expansive and grandiose new album ‘Knots & Chains’
Swiss quartet Lone Assembly present their debut album, “Knots & Chains”: hymns of pain, alienation, and sorrow, certainly, but also of hope, strength, and courage. Cloaked in a gothic aesthetic, the record is a new wave/synth-pop exploration of control in all its forms: control exerted by others, cultivated within ourselves, and imposed by the places we inhabit.
When Lone Assembly released “That Never Happened” in early 2024, a debut EP paying tribute to a lost loved one, the band quickly became more than just a group of friends making music: it became a space for healing, a place of closeness, a necessity. And while this urgency was evident in the band’s first songs, it is even more apparent on their debut album.
“Knots & Chains” leans heavily into chiaroscuro, casting shifting light across songs born of profound darkness. Here, the band uses each track as a means to examine control in its various forms. First, there is the control that others exert, as in the unsuccessful attempts of the narrator of “You’re Pulling at the Same Strings” to understand the evil that dwells within the other: “I’ve been wondering where your ache breathes, in mazes you design?” Then there is the control we exert over ourselves, as in the captivating “The Pain Keeper” and “My Life’s Solid.” And finally, there is the control of places that also transcend us, as in “The City Works Like This,” where the city acts like a living organism, absorbing, rejecting, distorting.
While the topics addressed by the band are dark, glimmers of hope emerge here and there, in the form of a vital need for air, as is the case with the banger “In the Open.” “The album takes shape like a cycle, moving from suffocation to openness, from closed spaces to greater, albeit fragile, breathing space,” explains Raphaël Bressler (vocals).
Musically, the record is characterized by an eighties coldness polished with a magnificently modern production: you can hear both their admiration for the golden years of Factory Records and the pop straight forwardness of bands like Editors. Everything here is expansive and grandiose: the sound, the ambition, the power of the lyrics, the soaring guitars, every beat of the rhythm section. Raphaël Bressler’s voice leads the way throughout the tracks, captivating with its depth and gravity. The quartet, also composed of Glenn Le Meur (guitar), Jim Bodeman (bass), and Romain Segu (drums), delivers a debut album that cultivates both high aesthetic standards and remarkable pop appeal.
To support the album release, Lone Assembly are heading out on a UK tour this spring:
LONE ASSEMBLY, UK, Spring 2026
May 19th– Bristol, The Jam Jar
May 20th– Manchester, FAC251
May 21st– Leeds, Belgrave Music Hall
May 22nd– Brighton, Patterns
May 23- Glasgow, Oran Mor
May 24th– The Moth Club, London
Get tickets here: https://fanlink.tv/badapplemusic_la_rn
Swiss artist Fanny Alexandra returns with “Black Pearl Summer”, a new single that finds her exploring a more open side of her alternative sound. Released via Now Listen, the track combines coastal imagery with a story about growing through grief, pressure and the experiences that can shape a person over time.
Alexandra notes that the song is relatively summery by her own standards. She has said that her music is usually darker and that she has never been particularly drawn to the typical idea of summer, preferring cold air, jackets and rugged coastlines. That gives the release a clear sense of personality from the outset.
The song centres on Alexandra’s reflections on being 19 and spending years focused on survival rather than fully living. Those experiences are presented through the image of a black pearl, which becomes a way of considering how something worthwhile can emerge from a challenging period.
What makes the track particularly effective is the balance between its subject matter and its musical approach. The production gives the song room to breathe, while Alexandra keeps the focus firmly on the story she is telling. It means the track can be enjoyed as a seasonal release while still offering more to discover in the lyrics.
There is also a clear sense of change in the way Alexandra approaches her younger self. The song is not about returning to that period or trying to erase it. Instead, it considers what can be learned from experiences that once felt overwhelming.
“Black Pearl Summer” therefore offers newcomers a useful introduction to Alexandra’s work. It shows an artist comfortable writing about serious subjects, while also demonstrating a lighter musical side that may not be as familiar to listeners who know her darker material.
It is an interesting glimpse of what Alexandra can do when she lets a little more light into the picture.
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