CD Reviews

Model/Actriz – Swan Songs EP

True Panther Sounds

April 2026

Model/Aktriz delivers their new soundscape in "Swan Songs"!

Brooklyn based, rhythmic anxiety bringers, Model/Actriz, have never really played it safe. After 2023’s heavy "Dogsbody" and the edgy, high energy of last year’s "Pirouette", the quartet is back with the "Swan Songs" EP. The three-track EP feels like the industrial rockers are up to an energetic and intense fresh start, delivering haunting atmospheric lo-fi pulse and underground rhythm.

You can hear the machines roaring into the "Swan Songs", but there is a high sound contrast in here. "Pirouette" delivered a sharp, dance-floor sound, but "Swan Songs" moves forward turning the raw energy into a blend of atmosphere, dreams and noise. Seth Manchester takes over production once again, and everything sounds precise and huge.

Starting with "Glassman," the sound hits you with metallic percussion—like you're catching echoes coming from a dark, noisy construction site. Cole Haden's voice shifts from creepy whispers to his signature chaotic, nervous screams. Model/Actriz builds the tension so quickly that you can't get past it.

"Thank You By Dido" is the EP’s style switch. A ghostly, twisted love song that ditches any sort of ironic homage and heads straight for the gut. Jack Wetmore’s guitar layers build a floaty, shoegaze fuzz that feels strangely tender, especially for a band that usually tears nerves apart instead of calm one down. It’s a glimpse into a softer, yearning version of Model/Actriz, less andrenaline, more honest pain.

Final track, "Majesty", completes this journey into experimentation, delivering a heavy, rocking groove. Aaron Shapiro and Ruben Radlauer’s tight rhythm, brings the darker sides of the quartet into "Swan Songs", blending mpments of their noisy beginnings, with something that wants to become more dreamy. "Majesty" closes the EP and Model/Actriz are into a new form of sound, without leaving their origins.

"Swan Songs"  may only be about 14 minutes long, but it's a must-listen for anyone who follows Model/Actriz. The band moves in bold, intense contrasts here, showing they can make the noisy rock sound more dreamy than never, and transform sonic trip to raw energy. The three tracks of the new EP feel experimental, even a little dangerous, establishing their spot right at the cutting edge of modern alternative music.

Info:

http://modelactriz.com/

https://www.facebook.com/modelactriz

https://www.instagram.com/modelactriz/

https://www.tiktok.com/@modelactriz

https://modelactriz.bandcamp.com/

https://soundcloud.com/modelactriz

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7gdb1IQFHFQqCc5KoLTYNC

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