New Music From Victor and the Bully, Fate Gear, Mr. B, CPYist, Unwoman

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for musical acts that cater to steampunk fans, with new releases from Victor and the Bully, Fate Gear, Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer, and CPYist, while Unwoman is taking pre-orders for her latest album of cover songs.

Victor and the Bully’s Embrace

The London-based trio released Embrace the Disgrace, their third full-length album, but the first with the new lineup of Victor Ghastly, Crowboy, and Halo. The album features 14 tracks, many with dark lyrical themes and a range of musical styles including symphonic rock, electro-swing, and Eastern European sounds. Total running time is 53 minutes.

It’s available as a CD from the band’s online store or as a digital download from Apple Music and Amazon Music. You can also stream the album on Spotify.

Steampunk fans in the UK will have plenty of opportunities to hear the band live this year as they’re scheduled to play numerous events including the Surrey Steampunk Convivial (May 7), Ramsbottom Steampunk Weekend (May 28), Splendid Essex Steampunk (June 12), Fantasy Forest Festival (July 15-17), Eastbourne Steampunk Ball (Sept. 3), and Gosport Steampunk Weekend (Sept. 17). They’ll also be traveling across the pond for an appearance at C.O.G.S. Expo in New Jersey, May 13-14.

Latest From Fate Gear

Fate Gear, the all-female steampunk metal band from Japan, released Killers in the Sky, a seven-track EP in which bandleader Captain Mina and drummer Haruka are joined by a host of guest musicians and vocalists. It’s available from streaming services, as a digital download, and as a CD in two editions, including a deluxe edition with a bonus DVD.

The band also released a music video of the opening track, “Live in Blood,” filmed aboard the historic battleship Mikasa. The ship launched in 1900 and is now a floating museum.

On a sadder note, the band postponed their spring European tour, citing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Captain Mina explained on Twitter that flights from Japan to Europe have been diverted because they normally cross Russian airspace, and one of the concert venues is now a shelter for Ukrainian refugees. Ticketholders will receive refunds, and they hope to be back in 2023.

New CPYist Video

CPYist, the steampunk-inspired dark wave trio from Germany, is out with a new single and music video entitled “My Thoughts to Be.” It follows the earlier releases of “One Way Ticket” and “Never Neverland.” The latter is the title track of their forthcoming debut album, which is slated for release May 13 in Europe and May 20 in the U.S.

The new video was produced by Toby Wulff Filmproduktion of Berlin. It received a Certificate of Achievement from the Tagore International Film Festival, a monthly streaming event from India.

Mr. B’s Harrowing Adventure

As we reported last week in Steampunk Digest, Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer released a short film and accompanying EP, both entitled À La Recherche Du Mr. B Perdu (In Search of the Lost Mr. B). The film tells the story “of what happened when I was chapnapped by my nefarious little puppet sidekick Mr. Little-B,” he explained in a message to fans.

The 10-minute video begins on a dark note—figuratively and literally—but viewers will be rewarded for their patience. “Expect excitement, drama, pathos, exotic locations, and a drop of plagiarism,” the chap-hop maestro writes. The EP, which serves as a soundtrack to the movie, is available on Bandcamp.

The artist also informed his fans that he’s at work on a new album exclusively for members of Mr. B’s Guild of Chap-Hop, his Patreon page.

More Covers From Unwoman

Unwoman is taking preorders for Uncovered Volume 7, a forthcoming album with cover versions of 15 rock and pop songs. Tracks include “Voices Carry” (originally recorded by ‘Til Tuesday), “My Name Is Ruin” (Gary Numan), “The Tradition” (Halsey), “Walking on Broken Glass” (Annie Lennox), “Hungry Like the Wolf” (Duran Duran), “I Know Places” (Taylor Swift), “Nights in White Satin” (The Moody Blues), and “Our Mother the Mountain” (Townes Van Zandt).

Unlike her previous cover albums, she’s not funding this on Kickstarter and it will be available exclusively as a digital download, not on CD. “But many hours and love have gone into the recordings, and I hope you will cherish your downloaded copies just the same,” she wrote in notes accompanying the Bandcamp pre-order page.

The artist released early versions of the songs for her Patreon backers, but the tracks on the album will be mastered by Corrosive Audio.

She’s planning a July 31 release on Bandcamp, with releases for streaming services to follow about a month later. You can pre-order it for US$8 via the Bandcamp page.