As in past years, CTM explores the noisier, harder, and more sinister sides of music. 

Austrian duo Schtum distill oscillating rhythms, noise, feedback, and microtonality into tense, menacing, and abrasive sounds. John Bence is the composer and producer behind the ghostly and ominous Kill. Released by Yves Tumor’s Grooming label, Kill tells the story of a murder, suicide, and judgment by God through the lens of a tormented protagonist, using allusions to early chant, elegies, and anguished confessionals. Loke Rahbek is Croatian Amor, who will be performing on the release date of Isa, his forthcoming album on Posh Isolation. The label co-founder’s sixth LP under this alias alludes to a messianic entity, and circles themes of tragedy and comfort to animate a sense of hope. Experimental Indonesian punk band Zoo began in 2005. Initially known for noisy, fast-paced music, they have begun fusing traditional, tribal elements into their sound. Zoo appear ahead of their forthcoming album, Khawagaka, on Yes No Wave—a record that explores their own unique fictional universe, replete with its own culture, language, and religion.