Manchester duo Nightbus return with their new single “Angles Mortz,” offering us a glimpse into their upcoming album Passenger. Blending post-punk grit with electronic influences, the track becomes an unsettling floor-filler.
While the album’s first single “Ascension” had a more upbeat, dream-pop feel, “Angles Mortz” is rooted in darker territory. The song is a psychological exploration, mirroring the city’s shadowy backstreets and nightclubs. Picture Manchester in the dead of night, think Ian Curtis’ “to the centre of the city where all roads meet, waiting for you.” This is the realm Nightbus takes us to.
Electronic drums open the song, with reverb-drenched guitars and breathy vocals creating a deliciously dark soundscape. Lead singer and guitarist Olive Rees wastes no time getting to the core of the song, delivering the blow of the first line: “I’m a whore, I’m a sadist/ can I meet you in another life?” She also sings of the seasons changing, pairing the approaching
Autumn with this gloomy otherworld. A transportive quality lurks beneath the song, reflecting its overall theme. Rees further elaborates that “we are travellers in our own bodies; there’s an alter-ego nurturing our secrets, fantasies, shame, and fears, lost in the underworld of humanity.” This gives the literal translation of “Angles Mortz” – death angles, or blind spots – a new significance.
The song explores areas of the psyche we may repress, but offers us an alternate reality in which shame does not exist, and where these dark fantasies can be embraced. “Angles Mortz” sees Nightbus expertly blend new wave ambience with more gothic undertones, perfect for fans of Joy Division and The Cure’s early material. Their debut album Passenger is due to release October 10th.
Article : Lauren Wilson
Photos credit : Gina Darwin
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Musik Magazine 2025
