Originally released in 2021, ‘MIMIK’ marks the band’s latest and final installment of their 4-part Wreckage Systems project. Produced post-pandemic, the collection of EPs blends classic instrumental sounds with experimental synth, delivering the classic 65daysofstatic sound through the frequent musical syncopation. 

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In the overview of the EP, representatives of 65daysofstatic write: “‘MIMIK’ is here to fix up your existential wounds, like a bandage made of concrete. Architectural techno-solace, a scaffolding of surety and safety. A brutalist cathedral, its roof of reverb held aloft and shimmering on columns of sub bass. A powerhouse of intention and that intention is: what if dancing but in 7/8? Come in, and welcome. Let the waveforms embrace you. Shelter here from the storm, then make one of your own.” 

The Wreckage Systems project boasts previous EPs from the band, including ‘Available Data’, ‘Tomorrowd’, and ‘Under the Summs’. Brought to fans as a product of 65LABS, the research and development team behind the band’s more experimental output, Wreckage Systems began as constantly evolving musical avalanche, aiming to solve the equation of “noise x infinity”, making its live stream debut May 26 2021. Available to stream via YouTube, the recording demonstrates 65daysofstatic’s work at its most inventive,  showcasing the result of a music system that stacks “layer upon layer of noise on to and into itself.”

At the time of release, the band described the EP as “an ode to the spaces, both physical and liminal, mostly denied to us during these pandemic years.” Four years later following the announcement of release-to-streaming of ‘MIMIK’, 65daysofstatic share the continuous sentiment of spatial restriction that once inspired their music, reflecting: “It seems like a lot of those spaces never really came back, did they? And you can tell we had succumbed to cabin fever because rarely do we treat nostalgia as anything other than the enemy.”

Formed in 2001 in Sheffield, 65daysofstatic are a band at the forefront of experimentalism, blending contemporary techno sounds with their guitar-driven post-rock origins. Best known for providing the soundtrack to the 2016 video game, ‘No Man’s Sky’, the band have been achieving critical acclaim since the beginning of their career, their debut album, ‘The Fall of Math’, being described as “artillery against the argument that music isn’t exciting at the moment.” 

In its true innovative fashion, music from the Wreckage Systems project is currently only available via internet access and fans have yet to see any live performances from the band since its launch. 

See below for the full track-list of ‘MIMIK’: 

1. Mimik (Brln)

2. So Long, Linearity!

3. Synth Ascend

4. Circuit G

5. Mimik (Original) 

‘MIMIK’ is available for streaming now. 

Cradle Of Filth’s Dani Filth: “Spotify are the biggest criminals in the world…we had 26 million plays last year and I got about 20 pounds” https://t.co/GHG2Pady5M

— Metal Hammer (@MetalHammer) June 19, 2023

Spotify has become the method of choice for many music listeners, as the app’s relative ease of access and low expense make it a preferable place to keep music collections close at hand. This has not however, prevented the company from drawing criticism- especially from bands concerning how the app pays musicians for their work and how it allegedly gives preferential treatment to AI generated songs.

Dani Filth is having none of it, citing the digital age for a lot of bands either not making it at all or succumbing to the pressures that streaming places on many. Speaking about the industry in the modern era, Filth said, “it’s been deteriorating ever since…I think 2006 was the year that everything swapped from being comfortable for musicians-well, not necessarily comfortable, it was never comfortable. But [it went to] just being a lot harder with the onset of the digital age, the onset of music streaming platforms that don’t pay anybody.”

Arguably, and Filth certainly does point out, that the music industry has never been a necessarily friendly place for musicians. Prior to the digital boom, record companies often found themselves on the sharp ends of artist’s opinions, with many musicians even opting to form their own independent labels over the past few decades, to give artists more creative control over their projects.

Filth particularly reserved ire for Spotify who he says cheats artists out of a wage, claiming, “I think we had 25, 26 million plays last year, and I think personally I got about 20 pounds, which is less than an hourly work rate…I think people just have this amazing ability to [believe] that when you have stuff out there, like physical product, that you’re earning a fortune from it. They don’t realise you have so many people taking pieces of the pie…”

He also argued his belief that the post-pandemic and cost of living crisis has deterred many bands from touring-the expense just not worth it. With the ability to download music, many artists face not getting paid for their work, or at least not what they may deserve.

Filth has certainly opened up the floor to an interesting debate and one that will surely rage on, with almost everyone involved having an opinion. With more and more musicians looking to maximise their worth, who can tell what the future holds for the industry.

Last year, Cradle of Filth released new song “She is a Fire,” in anticipation of the release of their live album Trouble and their Double Lives. The band are currently working on what will be their 14th studio album.

Absolutely mental. What an achievement Ed. Congrats! @spotify pic.twitter.com/Sber0327ap

— Ed Sheeran HQ (@edsheeran) July 26, 2022

Within the announcement, Spotify also confirmed other artists who have acquired a significant following within the platform. With 91.64 million followers, Ariana Grande has been named the second most followed act. Coming in at third place is “Bad Guy” singer Billie Eilish who has a confirmed 66.18 million Spotify followers. In fourth place is Drake, with.40 million followers; in fifth place is Justin Bieber, with 63.49 followers on Spotify.

This recent announcement is just one of many career highs which Sheeran has obtained since his career took flight. Last month, it was reported by Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) that the singer was the UK’s most played act of 2021; the singer was named the most-streamed artist after obtaining 81.20 million monthly listeners. Sheeran has also acquired the title of Most-played single with his commercially successful single “Bad Habits”, the track marked his first single release in over four years and spent multiple weeks as the UK’s number one single. In 2017, Sheeran also won the same double award; the singer obtained the esteemed title of Most-played single for his megahit “Shape Of You”.

The win means that the singer has been awarded two different awards within two different years, an impressive feat achieved by only a few. Fellow British artist Adele is another artist to win multiple titles; in 2011, the singer was named the most played artist and the most played song within the same year. The global popstar acquired the most-played single title for her megahit “Rolling In The Deep”.

Within the compiled data, The PPL also confirmed other artists who have obtained a significant amount of attention. The British music industry organisation proved David Guetta to be 2021’s second most played artist and also confirmed that Dua Lipa had come third, following from second and third are artists Little Mix, Coldplay, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber, Calvin Harris, Taylor Swift and Pink.

The recently released data also confirmed the UK’s most played singles of 2021. Within the findings, it was confirmed that English singer Tom Grennan held two spots within the list; the artist positioned in second place for his collaboration with Calvin Harris entitled “By Your Side” and also came third for “Little Bit Of Love”. Also included within the top ten are The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights”, Little Mix, Galantis and David Guetta’s single “Heartbreak Anthem”, and Coldplay’s “Higher Power”

Spotify took to Instagram to celebrate the news; the post also invites users to share their experience with the song. The social media post also features a personal video from Sheeran, the singer shared how he is “Chuffed” to break and set the streaming record. The 30-year-old artist also refers to the news as “Absolutely Insane” and continued to discuss the track’s origin story. “ [‘Shape Of You’] Wasn’t really meant to make the album, but when I finished making the song, Ben Cook, from my label, said it had to be a single – but I wanted ‘Castle on the Hill’ to be the single. We put both songs out at once and…I was wrong. Here we are with ‘Shape of You’ at 3 Billion.”

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Sheeran is no stranger to immense streaming success; the singer is also a member of the platform’s Billions Club. The hitmaker earned his place twice with singles “Happier” and “Galway Girl”, both tracks have reached over a billion streams. The Billions Club is an exclusive rank and playlist curated by Spotify based on the track’s streaming figures. The playlist also features tracks such as “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by grunge icons Nirvana and “Good 4 u” by Olivia Rodrigo.

This is not the only achievement that Sheeran has had within Spotify. The singer released his fourth studio album Equals earlier this year, the release garnered great success and reached the number spot within Spotify’s global and US top 10 album debut charts. Due to the album’s popularity, Spotify hosted a very special event in celebration of the release. The event included a traditional Sunday Roast and an intimate acoustic set by the singer.

The singer’s record-breaking single “Shape Of You” was released on 6th January 2017 and is often regarded as the catalyst to Sheeran’s worldwide popularity. The track was the lead single from his third studio album Divide and went on to win the singer various accolades. The song was nominated for British Single of the Year and British video of the year at the 2018 Brit awards. The track also won Sheeran a Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2018 awards ceremony.

In more recent news, it was recently reported that Sheeran and musical partner Sir Elton John have joined the race for this year’s Christmas number one single. This year sees the two singers double their chances of winning the festive crown, both artists appear on two entries. Along with their recently released duet “Merry Christmas”, the duo also appears on former Christmas winner LadBaby’s new entry entitled “Sausage Rolls For Everyone”.

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Deezer’s Global VP of Artist Relations, Nigel Harding as provided the following statement concerning the revelation, “It’s fantastic to see so many homegrown artists like Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa continue to shine both internationally and here in the UK. What really stands out is the enduring appeal of older material. The Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights’ and Tones and I’s ‘Dance Monkey’, both continue to dominate the charts more than 18 months after release. And it’s remarkable that Eminem remains as popular now as he was two decades ago”

The category of the top artist has been awarded to British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. The “Shivers” singer topped the list as the number one streamed artist.  Second and third places were taken by American rapper Eminem and The Weeknd. Following the pair was Dua Lipa, the British hitmaker who came in fourth as the service’s most-streamed artist. Fellow British act, Little Mix, also placed within the top 10 and closed off the list.

Dua Lipa not only charted within the top artist list but was also crowned as the top female artist within the streaming service. The “Don’t Start Now” singer beat out big names such as Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande to be the most streamed female artist. Little Mix also made an appearance within the top five and was announced as the fourth most female act streamed in 2021. The “Shout Out To My Ex” girl group also beat out American artists to reach the high position, Lady Gaga, Billie Elish and Rihanna charted behind Little Mix in streams.

Within the category for Top Track, Canadian artist The Weeknd won with his 2019 track “Blinding Lights”. The number one single was released from the 31-year-old singer’s fourth studio album After Hours. “Dance Money” by Tones and I placed in second place and was followed by “Bad Habits” by Ed Sheeran which charted at number three. British singer Harry Styles closed the top ten list with his single “Watermelon Sugar”.

The most streamed album was awarded to Olivia Rodrigo for her debut album Sour. The Weeknd also featured within this list, the singer’s double-platinum album After Hours followed in second place. Ed Sheeran’s 2021 album Divide was confirmed as the third most-streamed album within Deezer.

The platform awarded Ed Sheeran with another win; the singer won the Top Karaoke Song award with his number one single “Bad Habits”. Eurovision winners Måneskin filled both the second and third positions, the Italian rockers closed the top three with tracks “Beggin” and “I Wanna Be Your Slave”. American rapper Lil Nas X also charted twice in the category, “Industry Baby” landed at number six and “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” placed at number ten.

The announcement also consisted of further categories including Top Playlist, Top Deezer Originals song and Top Podcast. To accompany the list of the service’s most listened to content Deezer has also created a Best of 2021 channel for its users to enjoy.

Through the #BrokenRecord campaign, Gray took to Twitter to share the news and the letter in full.

Over 150 artists and songwriters, including @PaulMcCartney are calling on @BorisJohnson to put the value of music back in the hands of music makers.
The letter, backed by @wearetheMU + @IvorsAcademy with @TomGray‘s #BrokenRecord campaign. #FixStreaming. https://t.co/1PhMy1SxUI pic.twitter.com/1BPx4xiX4B

— Kim Johnson MP (@KimJohnsonMP) April 21, 2021

The letter has arisen during an inquiry into the financial impact in which the current rules currently have on artists, record labels and other industry professionals. The ‘Economics of Music Streaming’ inquiry was made by the UK committee for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The committee, chaired by Julian Knight MP, is tasked with the responsibility of examining work within the relevant departments and their associated public bodies which include the BBC.

The letter calls for a change that will enable a power shift within the industry to enable the value of music to be put in the hands of creators. The change will see an amendment to an Act of the Parliament, the 1998 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, which gives artists the rights to say how their work is used and distributed. Forms of media covered within this copyright act include Music, books, videos, games and software.

Amongst the full contents of the letter, it states that streaming platforms have “not kept up with the pace of technological change and, as a result, performers and songwriters do not enjoy the same protections as they do in radio.” The letter also confirms that the amendment will be small “only two words need to change in the 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act…so that today’s performers receive a share of revenues, just like they enjoy in radio.” And ensures that the requested change “won’t cost the taxpayer a penny but will put more money in the pockets of UK taxpayers and raise revenues for public services like the NHS.”

The General Secretary of the Musicians’ Union, Horace Trubridge has provided a comment, stating his support as well as explaining the impact which COVID has had on artists, “As the whole world has moved online during the pandemic, musicians who write, record and perform for a living have been let down by a law that simply hasn’t kept up with the pace of technological change.”

Many other big musical names have also signed the letter and some have also voiced their opinion on the matter, such artists include Wolf Alice, Kate Bush, Tim Burgess, Ed O’Brien, Brit-pop legend Damon Albarn and Mod icon, Paul Weller. Weller has been extremely vocal in his disgust with the streaming conglomerate, Spotify. He has stated that he will never support the service due to the unfairness shown to artists financially, he has also voiced his concern over the apparent low pay made to artists based on their streams.

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At the rate it is going, the new streaming platform is on track to have enough investments that’ll make up to £200 million in flotation on London’s stock market. With the latest funding round (in which Minogue was a part of), it is believed to value ROXi at around £50 million, will help the streaming platform extend its user base and service to a new high of potentially 500 million devices that they hope will be met by 2022. This will be achieved by launching on other platforms such as smart TVs from Samsung and LG, gaming consoles like PlayStation, and Apple TV.

What is ROXi? ROXi boasts itself as the first “made for TV music experience”. It offers a massive catalogue of features and music Apps “products including karaoke and a 55m song” available to stream instantly. It also offers the ability to play music games. At present ROXi is available on Sky,s Q service as well as Google’s Android TV. It is available to purchase the hardware ROXi device here, which comes with its nifty remote controller that doubles up as a snazzy microphone for its voice commands, karaoke, and music games.  

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Kylie Minogue, when she’s signed up as an investor, is now in a three-year deal with ROXi. This includes being the face of its advertising campaign. Minogue is the most recent big name to invest in the new streaming platforming. as well as Robbie Williams, ROXi also has investments from firms like Sun Capital as well as “Henrik Holmark, the former finance chief at the music service Pandora, and Chris Wright, the founder of Chrysalis Records. Other backers include Lorna Tilbian, the chairman of Dowgate Capital and a former board member at the ad group M&C Saatchi, and Roxi’s chairman, Rupert Howell”.

ROXi’s founder Rob Lewis has commented on the new growth and traction of ROXi “We have seen huge growth during lockdown, with people using their TVs for more interactive entertainment at home, the fundamental thing is when you are looking at a potential initial public offering in the future you want to be growing as quickly as you possibly can be. And with this funding, Roxi is ready to start to roll out on other platforms and in other countries.”

The British rival to Spotify and Apple Music has developed it’s own streaming service and already has celebrity backers onboard including Robbie Williams, Alesha Dixon and Sheryl Crow.  As well as featuring on the TV ad campaign, which will run until December 21st, Kylie will also become a curator, making her able to share her exclusive playlists.

Kylie has commented to Music Week Magazine on their new partnership saying, “Music is my life’s great passion and I’m excited to be joining Robbie, Sheryl and the rest of the curation ream at Roxi. I can’t wait to share my playlists and the music I love with you all on Roxi.” The campaign will feature Kylie performing her new single ‘Magic,’ featured on her new album out last week. The advert is set in a family living room which is transformed into a nightclub dance floor, yoga studio, quiz floor studio and ends in a  concert stadium with Kylie.

ROXi CEO Rob Lewis has reported to of said to Music Week, “We’re delighted to welcome Kylie to Roxi. She’s the world’s favourite Australian export and has sold more than 80 million albums worldwide with seven No.1s in the UK alone. Having Kylie join the team at Roxi will help us to deliver on our vision to get everyone listening together, singing together, dancing together, playing together, with Roxi.”

As well as investment from former McLaren executive Rob Davies, the company also has financial backing from Hendrick Holmark, the former finance chief for Pandora and Saracens ruby owner Nigel Wray. The Telegraph newspaper reported that the company also struck partnerships with Sky in September, bringing their streaming services to Sky Q box top sets.

Between this week and the 21st December, there will be more than 350 million impacts broadcasted and the ad will run on over 100 TV channels to include sky movies, sky sports, channel 5, Discovery and most music channels. Although the business launched in 2015 and has suffered a series of delays, it has focused on developing software which can be installed on Televisions and game consoles.

ROXi originally manufactured their own top box for £99 in 2015 under a different name, ‘Electric Jukebox’ but it was clear they had to use an updated technology which could be more adaptable in order to succeed in the music business.

Due to market fluctuations over the coronavirus and Brexit, the company decided to cancel a float which could of seen it rise to 50 million, but the fluctuations in the market gave them concerns in this instance. Rob Lewis admitted to The Telegraph that the development of ROXi has been a “very long, arduous journey.”  Their determination to succeed in these uncertain times is now being fulfilled and having backing from huge stars such as Kylie Minogue will certainly go in their favour.

Directed by Anton Corbijn, the Dutch photographer and prolific director of music videos and feature-length films, the documentary is set for release on June 26th, on DVD and BluRay. Featured on the film’s official website, a pre-release sneak peak is on offer for those who can’t wait the extra week – a video of the band performing “Cover Me” from the soon-to-be-released Berlin concert.

Sourcing an official statement for the upcoming release, an article published by NME claims the new concert film will “zero in on their lives – all extremely different save for their love of Depeche Mode’s music and the way that music has shaped their experiences – intercut with the final Berlin show, held at the iconic Waldbühne (“Forest Stage”) on the record-breaking two-year Global Spirit Tour in 2018, which saw them play to over 3 million fans at 115 shows across the world.”

Quite the feast of sight and sound awaits, I’m sure. Not surprising, though, for a film like this to be coming from a director who, in a previous interview with NME, said the band were constantly changing and developing, artistically. “Depeche Mode were only interested if there was a different angle to it,” Corbijn said, “so we decided to look at the reason for why Depeche Mode was still growing. They have all these fans and they’re the biggest cult band in the world. It’s unbelievable.”

- Photo credit: Owen Ela

The t-shirt reads, “One T-shirt is the equivalent to 5000 streams on Spotify. 76% of all music in 2019 is streamed and not bought physically or digitally. Band merchandise is the most direct way of supporting an artist.”

The group have made it very clear that this is not a campaign against streaming services, but an attempt to bring to light the effects of these services if people rely solely on them as a way of supporting musicians.

Formed in 2006, the metalcore punk band have released four studio albums, with their most recent, ‘So What?’ in March of this year. The album has been received well on the whole, with positive reviews from Kerrang and Louder Sound, describing it as “more alternative, electronic”. It is clear that the group have taken a different angle in their production with this release than their previous work, “there are plenty of riff heavy body slams, but this is a shinier, polished and melodic finish.” As with most long time rock bands that decide to go down this route, of course the record has face some backlash. Max Morin called it “a transparent attempt at marketability than genuine musical vision.”

On twitter, WSS explained the reasons behind why they have launched this t-shirt and why it is important for this message to be shared further than just their own fanbase. “If bands and artists are to survive and win the battle of art vs money, we need to find new income to keep afloat…this t-shirt isn’t just for our band, it’s for all bands and we want it to become a staple in the positive change needed in the music industry.”

This is about how you can support the music you love.
Not just our band and our music – this is aimed at every working band trying to make music and get it out there. We are launching a free-to-use design to highlight the realities of being a band today.https://t.co/84LyW9LCyZ pic.twitter.com/HEB082D6JX

— WHILE SHE SLEEPS (@whileshesleeps) August 7, 2019

In addition, the 5-piece metal core band have made this t-shirt design available to use for free, so that the message can be heard in further realms of the industry and in popular culture as a whole.