Two of the major complaints I have about the independent electronic scene and industrial music as a whole are the lack of competent vocalists in the scene and the lack of production. Of course the usual excuses come out with either vocalists defending their work as their friends and family do or they joke and say that it’s industrial music and it’s supposed to sound bad. And then on the production end you have a lot of bedroom producers either doing their best with what they have or you have people who generally don’t know what they’re doing acting as if they do and charging obscene amounts of money for mixing and mastering services. This is why it’s always a breeze in the mountains whenever I cross my path with an act such as 8mm.
8mm is a combination of husband / wife duo Sean and Juliette Beaven and multi-instrumentalist and composer Jonny Radtke. Juliette Beaven has become known for her work as a composer in the independent horror circuit, Sean Beaven with his work in NIN, A Perfect Circle, and No Doubt, and Radtke for his work in Filter, Kill Hannah, and Polar Moon. Considering I don’t really follow any of those bands (I know it’s sacrilegious in the industrial scene to not follow NIN so consider me a heretic) I knew none of these names and now only know them for 8mm. Moving on.
Black Cat is the subject of today’s discussion and it’s the band’s most recent album that released in 2024 and it starts with the title track. The band has personally described Black Cat as a cinematic and dreamlike slice of existence and this song is an example of that. Piano key strokes play over an opening synth line as if the sun was just rising or a nuke was just dropped and you’re seeing the fallout from afar. Juliette’s slightly digitally touched vocals come in before background whispers and electronic trickles slowly exemplify the beauty within the mold. There’s never an attempt to make the song more than it needs to be which is a slow paced, trip-hop inspired ballad that becomes a boisterous synth and drum laden sweep in the ladder half.
Ghost breaks further into trip-hop territory with an emotive delivery from Juliette and smooth electronics and rhythms haunting throughout. Equally mesmerizing on both fronts there’s an excellent balance in the mix between instrumentals and vox. Over and Over is the smooth electro-jazz track that you’d find playing in a smoky dive bar on a rainy day; an escape from reality, from the turmoil, from the business of everyday.
Blown Away starts off with gritty feedback a la modern industrial electronica but is interwoven between synth lines that dive off the deep end and Juliette’s phenomenal delivery. A different kind of soul soothing beat. Industrial rock melodies come out to play in Need You Tonight without ever sacrificing the mood or tension that’s been set up previously; a subtle nod to Sean and Radtke’s formative backgrounds.
Shoot the Messenger is a song out of leftfield that changes a lot of the synth work out for bright guitar rhythms and banshee like vocals shouting to the heavens above. The ticking of cymbals keep the jazz spirit alive and well as do some alarm like synths that are found in the background but the overall vibe of the song is at odds with the rest of the album – in a good way.
I hate covers. Everyone knows this. Everyone. I’ve talked to death about it a thousand times in the past. My opinion is this: If you can’t do it as well as the original there’s no point in doing it at all. You’re gonna butcher it. But 8mm absolutely nails a cover of White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane. More in your face and clean on the delivery rather than keeping it as a far off distant shout that echoes, it’s a fun take.
Run might be the closest thing we get to a casual pop song on the album so far but it still takes the reigns and moves away from the classic formula by keeping it on a dream-like spectrum. There’s even a break in the middle of the song that sacrifices all beats and melodies for some simple yet gorgeous ambiance that teases the finale. Deep rolling bass feeds the rhythm of I Forgot to Say and I absolutely adore it. Something easy to relax to, to stare at the night sky and dream. The final song on the album is Goodbye Lullaby which sees both Beavens singing one after the other and eventually in a duet. It’s a gorgeous closure to the whole album.
Though this album released in 2024 8mm is a band that keeps on giving as they released an extended digital edition in 2025. While I won’t go over the whole thing as I’ve already spoken (or typed) a mouthful this shouldn’t be missed solely for the additional two tracks that 8mm added, those being Roads and Change (In the House of Flies). There’s also a dedicated remix section adding ten more tracks to the album that you can pick and choose from, though I am partial to the originals as those are outstanding.
I don’t know what more I can add as a conclusion other than that if you were ignorant of 8mm now you aren’t. And now that you aren’t you should stop reading and simply listen to them. Headphones recommended.
