Tag: Psychedelic

The Berries Return: Matthew Berry’s Most Personal Album Yet

The Berries announces forthcoming new album. Photo: Ajalena Dewolf Moura, used with permission.

The Berries Announce New Self-Titled Album — Out August 29

A Return to Form for Matthew Berry

The Berries marks a pure return to form, delivering Matthew Berry’s strongest take yet on the hallowed tradition of the guitar-wielding singer-songwriter. The LP masterfully channels the tradition’s iconic sentiments—naked Americana, chemical winds whistling over barley shafts, longing-swollen livers, and pleading romance—while infusing them with a rich melancholy that is distinctly Berry’s. (another side, 2025)

Breaking from the Past

Berry describes the record as an act of survival and rebirth:

“This record came out of a need to break from my old self, to break from a lifestyle that I could no longer bear waking up to everyday. It’s equally fueled by remorse and relief—I can rejoice a bit in having found a renewed purpose, but I had to finally stare down everything that was standing in the way of that sense of dignity first.”

Sound and Structure

Sonically, The Berries draws inspiration from a long lineage of studio-centered pop songcraft—from the comedown genius of Tusk-era Fleetwood Mac to the reverb-drenched expanses of The War on Drugs.

The album unfolds as a series of impressionistic vignettes, each track carving out its own emotional terrain rather than conforming to established genre convention.

Lead Single: Angelus

On standout track and lead single “Angelus,” Berry threads together tender vocal melodies over a sparse progression, slowly building a wall of melancholy. The song resonates with a distinctly Californian desolation—capturing the loneliness of highway overpasses and the apocalyptic brightness of staring out across the Pacific.

Evolution of The Berries

The Berries began as a bedroom project—cosmic Americana and fuzzy guitar heroics that quickly secured Berry a multi-record deal with Run for Cover Records.

Since then, Berry has explored:

  • Berryland — country-inflected balladeering
  • Throne of Ivory — distorted, stadium-sized melodrama
  • High Flying Man — Californian burnout pop

Now, with The Berries, Berry steps fully into his role as a self-made studio auteur. Written in early 2025 and recorded that summer at engineer Jimmy Dixon’s home studio, the record reflects both urgency and precision, co-produced by Berry and Dixon.

Release Details

The Berries (self-released) will be available in stores and online August 29, 2025. It is available for pre-order/pre-save.

The Berries tracklist: 

1 – Sedentary Blues
2 – Vagabond
3 – Angelus
4 – White Peach
5 – Wind Chime
6 – Run You Down
7 – Salt Of The Earth
8 – Lie In The Fire Again
9 – Something Better
10 – Seventh
Album Art/Photo By Ajalena Dewolf Moura

‘Alone in a World of Wounds’: Steve Von Till’s Meditative Ode to Nature and Loss

Steve Von Till releases new single/video from Alone in a World of Wounds. Photo: Bobby Cochran, used with permission.

Steve Von Till’s Alone in a World of Wounds: A Haunting Tapestry of Loss, Nature, and Reflection

Ploughing a different furrow from his work with post-metal pioneers Neurosis, Steve Von Till’s latest solo album, Alone in a World of Wounds, is a sweeping, gothic-tinged collection of Americana infused with ambient textures and world-weary vocal melodies. It’s a deeply introspective journey—both sonically and thematically. It will be released on May 16 via Neurot Recordings. (another/side, 2025)

A Cinematic Opening

The album opens with “The Corpse Road,” a track that unfolds in a haze of mauve-toned drone textures, immediately immersing listeners in a creaking, dust-laden wilderness. Von Till sings of being placed in the “solitude of our inner spaces,” his voice framed by the mournful resonance of French horn and beautifully subtle cello arrangements by Brent Arnold. The track is accompanied by a haunting visual, directed by Josh Graham.

Rooted in Atmosphere and Intuition

Initially inspired by the harmonic resonance of piano and synths, Alone in a World of Wounds follows the reflective ambience of 2021’s No Wilderness Deep Enough. This new album sees Von Till opening up his voice like never before, with songs that emerged from intuitive improvisations—raw, emotional, and unguarded.

Music, Poetry, and Purpose

Outside of music, Von Till is also a published poet. His 2021 collection, “Harvestman,” draws from a deep well of personal and philosophical writing. His lyrics and prose often reflect on humanity’s place in the cosmos, touching on themes of longing, loss, and the vastness of existence. In this album, a profound connection to—and disconnection from—nature serves as the thematic core.

The title Alone in a World of Wounds is inspired by a quote from environmental philosopher Aldo Leopold’s 1949 book A Sand County Almanac:

“One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds.”

Life Beyond the Music

Von Till’s commitment to the natural world goes beyond his art. He has been an elementary school teacher for over two decades and serves on the board of directors for the Firekeeper Alliance, a non-profit dedicated to reducing youth suicides among the Blackfeet Nation in Montana.

A Sonic and Visual Aesthetic

While Alone in a World of Wounds may seem far removed from the aggressive tones of Neurosis, the raw spirit of punk and DIY ethos remain essential to Von Till’s process. His search for deeper connection, his willingness to live with sorrow, and his instinctive approach to creativity all ground this project in authenticity.

Recorded largely at his barn studio in Idaho and mixed by Randall Dunn at Circular Ruin in Brooklyn, the album also features artwork by Spokane-based alternative process photographer Brian Deemy. Working in colloidal wet plate tintype, Deemy’s visuals perfectly complement Von Till’s ancient-yet-modern aesthetic—a haunting tribute to our bond with the more-than-human world.

Steve Von Till Live Dates:

May 30 – June 1: Prepare the Ground Festival – Toronto, CAN
July 25 – 27: Fire in the Mountains Festival – Blackfeet Nation, MT

Alone in a World of Wounds tracklist:
1 – The Corpse Road
2 – Watch Them Fade
3 – Horizons Undone
4 – Distance
5 – Calling Down the Darkness
6 – The Dawning of the Day (Insomnia)
7 – Old Bent Pine
8 – River of No Return

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