JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen’s 62nd birthday.
Author: William Ruben Helms
William Ruben Helms is a Corona, Queens, NYC-born and-based African American music journalist, freelance writer, editor, photographer and founder of the DIY, independent music and photography site, The Joy of Violent Movement. Over the course of the past two decades, Helms’ writing and photography has been published in Downbeat, Premier Guitar Magazine (photography), Consequence, The Inventory, Glide Magazine.com (words and photography), Publisher’s Weekly, Sheckys.com, Shecky’s Bar and Nightlife Guide 2004, New York Press, Ins&Outs Magazine, Dish Du Jour Magazine, Aussie music publication Musicology.xyz (photography) and countless others, including his own site.
With The Joy of Violent Movement, Helms specializes in covering music with an eclectic, globe-trotting, and genre-defying perspective that’s deeply inspired by and informed by his birthplace and home, arguably one of the most diverse places in the world. Since its founding back in 2010, The Joy of Violent Movement can proudly claim readers across the US, Canada, the UK, The Netherlands, France, Australia, and several others throughout its history.
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Throwback: Happy 63rd Birthday, Anthony Kiedis!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis’ 63rd birthday.
New Video: JOVM Mainstay Genesis Owusu Returns with Punchy “DEATH CULT ZOMBIE”
Acclaimed, multi-ARIA Award-winning Ghanian-born, Canberra-based JOVM mainstay Genesis Owusu‘s sophomore album 2023’s STRUGGLER was an exploration of the chaos and absurdity of life, our ability to endure and how to get through it all.
The album’s material was deeply inspired by a close friend hitting the brink and coming through the other side, and questions of life and beauty that he found himself contemplating during readings of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis.
Recorded between the States and Australia, STRUGGLER‘s producers traversed several different musical genres — and includes Jason Evigan, who has worked with RUFUS DU SOL and SZA; Mikey Freedom Hart, who worked on Jon Batiste’s 2021 Grammy of the Year Album, We Are; Sol Was, who worked on Beyoncé’s Renaissance; and Owusu’s long-time collaborators and producers Andrew Klippel and Dave Hammer.
Earlier this year, the acclaimed JOVM mainstay released “PIRATE RADIO,” the first bit of material since the release of his sophomore album, which I hope means a new album is on the horizon. But in the meantime, Owusu shares the fittingly Halloween-themed “DEATH CULT ZOMBIE.” Anchored around a punchy, hook-driven punk rock-meets-Brit pop arrangement, the acclaimed Aussie’s punchy in-your-face vocal delivers observations on the deeply entrenched thought indoctrination, divisive global conversations and absurd circular logic of our mad, mad, mad world — with song scathingly mocking Christian Nationalists, Donald Trump and his MAGA death cult. The song points out that we’re in a figurative zombie apocalypse, and the lemmings are blindly jumping off the cliff . . .
“For most people, the shaking up of what they consider to be true is too scary and inconvenient. Once you’ve picked your truth, you live by it staunchly despite whatever pesky ‘facts’ and ‘logic’ get in the way,” Genesis Owusu explains. “Pride won’t let you be wrong, fear won’t let you be free, dogma won’t let you be aware. The delusion is more comfortable. But the longer you sit in that delusion, the faster the zombification spreads through your body like a plague; like a scourge. Gotta be brave enough to break from the cult.”
Directed by Issac Brown, the accompanying video for “DEATH CULT ZOMBIE” follows the acclaimed JOVM mainstay desperately trying to escape a collection of Thriller-meets-Internet troll-like zombies — with a fitting spooky season twist.
New Audio: Denmark’s Catcase Shares Brooding “Technicolored Eyes”
Initially, founded by Danish singer/songwriter and guitarist Lasse B. Beck, who also split time in Syringe and The Love Coffin, as a bedroom project that’s the culmination of years of tormented sensitivity, frustration and self-reflection, Catcase expanded to a full band last year with the addition of Beck’s brother Niclas Berg Christiansen, a member of Shiver Less and The Road to Suicide; Deadpan‘s and Sanderson & the Charabancs‘ Max Cosiner; Chopper‘s Josephine Alicia; Jane’s and Chopper’s Jason Lee Cameron; and Leizure’s, Tugboat‘s and Sanderson & the Charabancs’ Mathias Gørtz, who were enlisted to flesh out Beck’s artistic vision.
Sonically, the band draws from an eclectic array of influences: Australasian post-punk, sophistipop, jangle pop and dream pop with nods to Spiritualized, The Go-Betweens, Rowland S. Howard, Xiu Xiu, Prefab Sprout and My Bloody Valentine. And yet, the Danish sextet claims kinship with contemporaries like Strange Ranger, Bleary Eyed and Nyxy Nyx among others.
Slated for a February 20, 2026 release through Pink Cotton Candy Records, the band’s Kristian Alexander-produced full-length debut, As It Reels was recorded earlier this year at Copenhagen‘s Royal Danish Academy of Music. As It Reels‘ first single “Technicolored Eyes” is an eerie and brooding bit of art rock that channels Priest = Aura-era The Church with subtle dream pop and grunge-inspired flourishes that showcases the band’s ability to craft a rousingly anthemic hook and chorus, while being anchored earnest, lived-in songwriting.
Lyrically, the song evokes a liminal state familiar to my fellow night owls out there: The often lonely trip home after a night out of hijinks and adventures as the sun rises. And if you’re as familiar with it as I am, that trip home is throbbing mass of impressions, informed by nostalgia, loneliness, drunkenness.
Throwback: Happy 59th Birthday, Ad Rock!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Ad Rock’s 59th birthday.
Throwback: Happy 62nd Birthday, Johnny Marr!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Johnny Marr’s 62nd birthday.
Throwback: Happy 64th Birthday, Larry Mullen, Jr.
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates U2 co-founder and drummer Larry Mullen, Jr.’s 64th birthday.
News/Announcements: Shoutouts to Patreon Patrons, Creatives Rebuild New York and Asian Arts Initiative
Earlier this year, I announced that JOVM had to go on a forced, indefinite hiatus. For a significant portion of this year, I just couldn’t financially manage all the various subscription fees to keep this site going as I had been — and as I would prefer.
In the two months prior to the hiatus, my business plan was pulled and the site was broken and essentially disappeared. Over a decade worth of music, arts and culture coverage were lost in the ether — seemingly forever or until I could figure out subscription fees. It also meant that whatever money I was making through ad revenue, disappeared, too.
So, it meant taking some time to figure out what I could do and what was next. With all the unexpected free time I had without JOVM-related work, I admittedly went through a bunch of different emotions. For the first handful of days, I felt extremely depressed. Getting out of bed, showering and putting on clothes was difficult.
By the third or fourth day, I realized that I needed to do something different or I’d fall into a very deep hole. I wound up going on several long walks with my Canon R6 Mark II in hand. It kept me busy. Hell, it kept my mind busy on something else. And initially at least, it didn’t matter if the photos would be shared anywhere or not. But I did wind up sharing them on Instagram — because that’s what you do, right?
Now, remember JOVM has been a daily part of my life for over 15 years. And it’s been a daily part of some of your lives for much of that period, too. Being able to return to this work — for you, dear reader — has been a great joy.
As always, there are some folks that I need to thank.
First, the Patreon Patrons, who have supported me through over the course of the past few years:
Sash
Alice Northover
Bella Fox
Jenny MacRostie
Janene Otten
I must thank my pal and colleague Adam Bernard for chatting with me about JOVM and the site’s hiatus last month. You can check out the interview, in which I talk about how important it is to support independent journalists here: https://adambernard.blogspot.com/2025/09/saving-one-mans-movement-convo-with.html
I have to thank the helpful, hardworking and dedicated folks at Creatives Rebuild New York. I’m proud, gratified and humbled to have been included in their 18-month Guaranteed Income for Artists program. Understandably, being included was also deeply vindicating. Someone out there thought my work — this very work! — was worth supporting financially. Obviously, the funds from it have managed to keep this labor of love going during one of the most uncertain periods in recent human history, while lessening some of the normal financial pressures of being an American artist, creator and journalist.
I also found out about Asian Arts Initiative’s Sound Type Workshop through Creatives Rebuild New York. So, I just can’t thank those folks enough. And I’ll forever be in their debt.
I must thank the folks at the Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia for selecting me for the Sound Type Music Writer Workshop. Being a part of the inaugural cohort was an honor.
I also have to thank my man John Morrison, Philly’s preeminent music journalist for the support and encouragement.
Last but not least, I have to thank a friend, who will remain anonymous upon their request for their generosity and support.
Now, I must remind y’all, that The Joy of Violent Movement is a completely independent and completely D.I.Y. media outlet. Over the course of this site’s 15+ year history, I’ve used my fiercely independent stance to cover music with an eclectic and global perspective that a lot of other publications just don’t have — and will likely never have.
To that end, I could use your support to continue to keep bringing you my unique global perspective on music. There are a number of ways that you can support this work.
I’ve been told that some people would prefer to make a one-time donation because it’s easy and less of an obligation. So, if you’re able to make a one-time donation, there’s a donation box below.
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Anything you can give is very much appreciated. It can and does make a real difference, y’all.
I know that a lot of folks are struggling to make ends meet in an uncertain and tumultuous economic climate. So there are other, non-financial ways in which you can support this work.
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New Video: Hop! Hop! Diablo Funk Share Joyous and Funky “Bailas como un diablo”
Since forming back in 2014, Mexican outfit Hop! Hop! Diablo Funk — Jud (vocal) MC Rita (guitar), Coros Perico (guitar), Coros Damien (drums), Jona (trumpet), Bajo Hector (trumpet), Eli (sax), Dyanata (trombone) — have stood out for crafting a sound that draws from rock, funk and several other genres paired with lyrics that address every day life situations, social issues and more.
While making their rounds of their national festival circuit with sets at La Fiesta de la Música, Rock x la Vida, Vibra Chapultepec, Zocalo, Hop! Hop! Diablo Funk, the band has also established a reputation for a dynamic and fun live set.
Hop! Hop! Diablo Funk’s latest single “Bailas como un diablo” is an ecstatic, nostalgia-including song that channels a seamless synthesis of 80s Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine and 70s disco while showcasing a band that can craft a dance floor friendly groove and a remarkably catchy hook.
Look, shit is bleak right now. And it’s going to get dire — soon. This song is a much-needed joy bomb, a reminder that everyone has to grab hold of a bit of fun whenever and however they could. It’s the only way that you’ll be able to survive.
FYI: For those who are sensitive to strobe light, the accompanying video features flashing lights. Besides that the video features the band — fittingly — playing on a flashing Saturday Night Fever-inspired stage with a disco ball just above them.
New Video: Hallucinophonics Shares Brooding and Cinematic “Haze of Time”
British indie outfit Hallucinophonics exists as the crossroads of consciousness and sound, creating immersive, psychedelic soundscapes that defy and blend the boundaries between reality and dreams. Drawing inspiration from Pink Floyd, Tame Impala and others, they attempt to create music that’s both an artistic statement and a transformative experience.
Ranging from space rock anthems to introspective, nocturnal transmissions, the British indie outfit weaves ethereal textures, progressive song structures and hypnotic rhythms while their material explores themes of evolving consciousness and existential discovery.
Their latest single “Haze of Time” may arguably be the most New Wave and goth-like tune of their growing catalog. Channeling Heaven Up Here-era Echo and The Bunnymen and The Cure, “Haze of Time” features angular, driving bass lines, jangling and swirling guitars serving as a broodingly eerie and cinematic bed for yearning, achingly plaintive vocal. The song seemingly evokes the feel and vibe of spooky season with an uncanny specificity.
The accompanying video follows a denim-clad young woman expressively dancing in a graffiti alley — but as the video progresses, it suggests that the line between sanity and insanity is very thin.
Throwback: Happy 60th Birthday, Gavin Rossdale!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale’s 60th — yeah, 60th! — birthday.
Throwback: Happy 86th Birthday, Grace Slick!
JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship and Starship frontperson Grace Slick’s 86th birthday.
New Audio: The Orielles Share Expansive “Three Halves”
Acclaimed, Manchester, UK-based JOVM mainstays The Orielles — Esmé Dee Hand-Halford (bass, vocals), Sidonie Dee Hand-Halford (drums, vocals) and Henry Carlyle Wade (guitar, vocals) — will be releasing their fourth album, the Joel Anthony Patchett-produced Only You Left through Heavenly Recordings on March 13, 2026.
Recorded last summer in two locations — the Greek Island of Hydra and Hamburg — the forthcoming, 11-song Only You Left reportedly sees the band consolidating the bold experimentation of 2022’s Tableau with the more stripped-back, song-driven approach of their earlier releases, channeling a return to the familiar. “There’s nothing more trad than a three-piece,” quips Henry, in reference to the band’s decision to return to their roots as a trio.
Now, as you may remember, the JOVM mainstays, which originally started out in Halifax gained attention both nationally and internationally with the release of their full-length debut, 2018’s Silver Dollar Moment, which will celebrate its eighth birthday this upcoming February. “These things come in like seven year cycles. So we’ve come in like a full circle back to a familiar place, just as different people,” the band says.
As for the foundations of the forthcoming album, the band’s Henry Carlyle Wade says “You’ve got to die and be reborn between albums.” “It comes naturally, the band’s Esmé Hand-Halford adds, “it’s not something we consciously do.” Interestingly through this process of creative renewal, the JOVM mainstays have managed to weather a pandemic, the fickleness of a trend-driven music industry and somehow emerge with something that’s familiar yet completely different.
According to Wade, the first ideas for the new album can be traced back to May 2023: Esmé Hand-Halford had purchased a freeze pedal, which allowed her to play around with sustained notes on her guitar. These heavy drones would later form the background of album tracks “Wasp” and “Three Halves.”
In breaks between tours, the bands began to meet up and record their practice room sessions, later analyzing the voice notes with a granular attention to detail. “We recorded everything on our phones, every snippet,” explains Henry. “We went so deep into what each song needed or what we wanted to hear from it.”
While the Tableau sessions were semi-improvisational and partially written in the recording studio, Only You Left was fleshed out through a series of intense writing sessions between May 2023 and last summer. Each of the album’s 11 songs were meticulously refined and became its own distinctive work. “It almost felt really novel for us to be writing as a three-piece and really, really crafting these songs,” the band’s Esmé Hand-Halford recalls. “But Tableau gave us that confidence to know we could go into a studio and pull things together in that setting under the time pressure.”
Producer and engineer Joel Anthony Patchett, whom Esmé Hand-Halford dubs the honorary fourth member of the band, has had a massive influence on the album’s sound and approach. “Joel brings an extra level of interpretation and deep listening,” Henry Carlyle Wade says, “and it’s always exciting to explore that.” Sidonie Hand-Halford adds, “He’s constantly talking us through every step of what he’s doing and getting really, really involved with that process as well. And we’re just kind of learning together and making these mistakes and discovering things together.”
Only You Left‘s first single “Three Halves” derives its title when Wade stitched together three recordings on Ableton and needed a working title. What began as a temporary placeholder soon became a theme for Esmé Hand-Halford to riff on, a metaphor for the trio and their deeply shared connection.
At points noisy and driving and dreamlike and mediative in others, “Three Halves” is an expansive study in contrasts that’s experimental yet accessible while anchored by the razor sharp hooks that the Manchester-based outfit had been known for.
“Citing ideas that we took interest in during the early stages of writing the new record, ‘Three Halves’ flips between its absurd contrasts as the name suggests,” the band says. “Built upon a soundscape of droning organs, guitar, and cello it floats between noise and emptiness, precision, and catharsis, welcoming each half leads into the next.”
New Video: Ulrika Spacek Shares Eerily Atmospheric “Build a box Then Break It”
Formed back in 2014, London-based art rock outfit Ulrika Spacek — founding members Rhys Edwards (vocals, guitar) and Rhys Williams (guitar) , alongside Joseph Stone (guitar, keys), Callum Brown (drums), Syd Kemp (bass) — can trace their origins back to a night the band’s founding duo spent in Berlin, where the pair conceptualized the project around their mutually held passions and influences — in particular, Television, Pavement, Sonic Youth and krautrock.
Upon the duo’s return to the UK, they began working on the material that would eventually comprise their full-length debut, 2016’s The Album Paranoia, which featured album tracks “She’s A Cult,” and “Strawberry Glue.”
Since then, the project which started out as a duo, expanded to quintet with the addition of Stone, Callum, Brown and Kemp – and then released 2017’s critically applauded sophomore album, Modern English Decoration, an album that saw the band pushing their sound into a more textured territory. Their third and latest album, last year’s Compact Trauma channeled the anxiety and dislocation of the modernize age through a prismatic haze of guitars, loops and elliptical lyrics.
The British art rock outfit’s highly-anticipated fourth album EXPO is slated for a February 6, 2026 release through Full Time Hobby. Unlike its predecessors, which looked within EXPO reportedly holds a mirror up to the world and captures a warped reflection. The material was deeply informed by the band’s most recent American tour and was written while the band’s Rhys Edwards was awaiting the birth of his daughter, and started to wonder what kind of future world she’d inherit.
Although their foundations have long been in art rock, they’ve been increasingly drawing from electronic elements. But as a band, they’re interested in the glitchy space that exists between the two. And as a result, their most recent work reckons with human warmth and digital isolation, while being welcoming and alienating, exploring the uneasy tension of modern life as we know it. “Our music has always been a collage – a bit patchwork, sonically – but what makes this album a landmark for us is that we went one step further and made our own sound bank and essentially sampled ourselves,” the band says.
The band creates their own doppelgängers in a world of almost-real, where the band appears as if they’re in a funhouse hall of mirrors. Digital drums are sampled and layered over real drums and the like, creating an eerie, spectral vibe. Sonically, album’s material grapples with the organic and the digital while dancing across musical languages.
EXPO‘s first single “Build a Box Then Break It” serves a de-facto album mission statement that sees the band actively pushing their sound into a new, liminal space. Seemingly channeling Geoff Barrow‘s work with Portishead and Beak>, Radiohead‘s Amnesiac and The Orielles‘ The Goyt Method EP, “Build a Box Then Break It,” features sampled upon sampled breakbeats, eerily atmospheric synths and squiggling guitars serving as a broodingly uneasy bed for Rhys Edwards’ plaintive and uncannily Thom Yorke-like delivery. The new single evokes our fractured experience of reality, reflected not through our eyes but through various screens.
The accompanying video was edited by Low Limit Vision and features live footage shot by Pedro Soler interspersed with title cards, math equations and other ephemeral imagery.