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No one likes to sign up for a subscription service, realise it’s not for them, then be hit with a bill at the end of the month because they forgot to cancel. We don’t do this — if it’s not for you, your free trial will simply come to an end and you won’t be charged. However, if you do want to keep using Cantilever — and judging by the emails I have received at least some of you do! — please head to https://www.cantilever-music.com/subscription and input your card details.
And a further reminder that, in order to access the full content on our app (currently ten great albums to stream!) you must make an account on our website first:
Daniel Avery — Tremor (2025)
An in-depth interview with the techno producer who has “always struggled to make straight up techno” where he reflects on how the music of his formative years has directly inspired his latest project:
“My first real loves in music were things like industrial rock, metal, shoegaze, a lot of 80s British indie music. To go specific: let’s say Joy Division, Cocteau Twins, Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine of course, moving into Deftones, Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails. And then I was discovering things like Aphex Twin, Autechre, Portishead, Massive Attack. At the time, I wasn’t delineating between these worlds. It all just felt like exciting, shadowy, atmospheric music. I wasn’t thinking: that’s an electronic artist and that’s a rock band. It all just felt like one extremely exciting world. I wanted to create my modern version of it with Tremor.”
Lankum — Between the Earth and Sky (2017)
One quiet Saturday a few years ago, I purchased Lankum’s album Between the Earth and Sky (2017) from Dash the Henge records in Camberwell. I went in, spoke to the guy at the counter and explained a bit about what I was listening to at the time. “You should try this”, he said, pulling out the record.
I’d never heard of the band before, and played the LP from start to finish when I got home, eagerly reading the liner notes, which explained that their traditional folk interpolations had come from as far as the Irish Traveller community “What Will We Do When We Have No Money”, to a song written in a concentration camp in 1933 as an act of resistance, “Peat Bog Soldiers”.
It’s up there with my personal favourite records, and while I paid money for it, it felt more like a gift from the guy at the counter. So I’m really passing on someone else’s recommendation here. And I’d strongly suggest you head to Dash the Henge if you’re ever in south London.
Sorry — COSPLAY (2025)
“Ever since their live debut on an underground boat party in 2016, London-based band Sorry – then known as Fish – have thwarted attempts at categorisation.”
Written by Vartika Rastogi, this write up gives the background on Sorry: a band often described as having a “mercurial” or changeable sound.
“Poetry is everywhere on Cosplay: “Echoes” was inspired by a poem about a little boy shouting into the void, and “In The Dark” references the Japanese poet Yukio Mishima, whom Lorenz and O’Bryen happened to be reading at the time of recording.”
I’m thrilled to say that both Erased Tapes and Partisan records have joined the other fantastic record labels we’re working with.
Erased Tapes are a London-based label whose roster includes longstanding experimental collective Penguin Cafe Orchestra, contemporary classical composer Ólafur Arnalds and electronic producer Rival Consoles. Erased Tapes’ curated, quality over quantity approach allows these genres to sit together harmoniously.
The Partisan catalogue is full of pioneering artists who have had a profound impact on music culture — Fela Kuti, DJ Rashad — as well as extremely prominent active artists — Geese, PJ Harvey, Ezra Collective. Their status as one of the most important independent record labels of the last two decades is undeniable.
It’s a thrill to be working together. Expect some exceptional records from both of these to be on Cantilever in the coming months.
I spoke to The Guardian about what we’re building.
“It’s a totally different thing. I don’t expect anybody to cancel their subscription [to Spotify or Apple] and just have this – it’s an additional thing that tries to give additional value that wasn’t there before.”
Albums last on our platform for just one month, and we only feature one album by an artist. In our app, we link out directly to where people can buy a physical copy, get a gig ticket, or stream an artist’s work elsewhere, so they can continue their journey with an artist they may have found through us. We don’t compete with other platforms, but like traditional music press, add value to them and to music culture in general.
Case in point, here’s an email I received on Monday morning:
“Firstly, I wanted to say how much I’ve been enjoying the service the past few days since the Android app launched. I’ve found each album I’ve listened to more than worthwhile, some I’ve been aware of but never got around to listening or wasn’t sure would be for me so having the focus was useful. I actually ended up buying a ticket to see Richard Dawson live next year almost immediately after listening to the album - something I certainly wouldn’t have done without the service.”
Full article here: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/nov/11/spotify-music-streaming-companies
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