Exquisite Corpses – Exquisite Corpses (Album Review)

Today’s review features the self-titled debut album from Exquisite Corpses.

Back in early 2025, UK/USA postpunk duo Lunar Paths, Brisbane-based dark rock outfit Killtoys, and Irish goth rock solo artist pMad embarked on an international musical adventure. Inspired by the classic parlour game ‘Exquisite Corpses’—in which each person adds a drawing to a folded piece of paper without seeing what the previous person drew—the three bands challenged themselves to apply this concept to their own songwriting. 

Each artist provided a rhythmic “starter”—percussive elements or a musical motif—that the others then built upon, adding their own unique chapters to the story. Each band recorded a song, and then, without sharing the finished song with the other two bands, they shared their percussion, instructing the other bands to create a brand-new song based only upon that isolated rhythm. 

The results were astounding. Nine tracks were created in total, all of them very different from the other, thanks to each artist having such a unique sound. The result is an album made of musical ‘Exquisite Corpses‘—each piece a rich fusion of perspectives and something that none of them could have made on their own — a lush, cinematic, and raw collection of songs that fuse the spirit of all involved, delivered in a single album. Their new EQ album just dropped on 2nd of August.
“It’s a collaboration that challenged us to let go of control and trust in each other’s creativity. The result is something we could never have made on our own — a rich, cinematic, and raw collection of songs that reflect all our perspectives blended into a single album.”— pMad, IMRO News (Ireland)

pMad is the gothic rock/post-punk solo project of Paul Dillon, based in Portumna, Co. Galway, Ireland. pMad is described as a goth rock, post punk, indie solo project bringing darkwave and gothic rock songs. pMad joined Sliptrick Records in September 2022, joining their roster as a Gothic Rock/Post-Punk artist. pMad’s sound draws from the rich tradition of gothic rock and post-punk, incorporating elements of darkwave to create atmospheric, introspective music. His work reflects both personal introspection and broader concerns about humanity’s impact on the world, delivered through the distinctive aesthetic of gothic rock.

Killtoys, based in Brisbane, Australia, is an alt rock band. Killtoys is a boundary-pushing musical entity led by singer-guitarist Mick Bristow, Stav Tsolkides on Bass, and Bevan Bancroft on drums. They formed in 2019. Killtoys creates rock music with an alternative edge, characterized by an amazing echoing quality and the guitar work that forms the foundation of their sound. As creatures of the night, Killtoys have crept out, suggesting a darker, more atmospheric approach to their rock compositions.

Lunar Paths is a transatlantic post-punk/darkwave duo formed by veterans of the original northern UK goth scene, percussionist Kevin Hunter and vocalist Diane Dubois, who formed Lunar Paths in late 2021. The band operates between the UK and Chicago, Illinois, creating music that bridges decades and continents. With memorable hooks woven through intricate, powerful percussion, laced together with haunting vocals, their eclectic sound shares traits with goth & alternative indie artists. Their music represents a mature evolution of their 1980s gothic post-punk roots, incorporating contemporary darkwave elements while maintaining the atmospheric intensity that characterized their earlier work.

What a fascinating idea for collaboration. Looking forward to hearing this.So let’s have a listen …

No Regrets (by Killtoys ft. Lunar Paths) begins with a pleasant arpeggiated clean electric guitar, accompanied by faint acoustic strumming chords underneath. The lyrics are great. “The walls are falling down, crushing is the sound, this is my end, so let it be magnificent.” And it just gets better from there. Very fast eighth note drum beat. Finally, the heavy, distorted electric rhythm guitars kick in. And then, just as soon as they entered, the song faded back into the arpeggiated intro part again. Then enters a driving guitar with different distortion. Followed by sounds of ghouls in the track’s background. I love the “ok, then” stop. Loving this song. The lyrics and vocals make the song. “Don’t look back at all. No regrets at all.” The song fades out.

Closer (by pMad ft. Killtoys) has a space-y chorus or flanger effect on the guitars. The drum beat for this song is solid, not as experimental as the first song. The effected guitars sound nice playing arpeggios in the middle. The vocals repeat “Closer, now, than I’ve ever been.” Not digging the vocals on this song, but it’s a nicely constructed song, although I think the vocals could be more melodic and less droning.

A Matter of Time (by Lunar Paths) starts with ethereal haunting voices singing “ahs”. The song has a strong tom-based drumbeat. The female vocalist, Diane Dubois, reminds me of Patti Smith. I like the drum sound effects and the children’s keyboard or steel drum that enters the song, sounding like a waterfall of notes. This song is very Patti Smith, whom I dig. I like the song, but think it’s a little long due to the repetitive nature of the drum beat and lack of movement/chord changes; it could be shorter.

Eating for Pleasure (by Killtoys) starts with a guitar playing a heavily distorted chord, as it should be lol. The drumbeat is a steady 4/4. I really like the vocals, singing “I’m a dead rock star.” I like the lead guitar that enters under the vocals, playing a fast single-note riff. “Mama, I’m a killer.” I like this song. I like the driving rhythm guitars. Nicely done. Very alt-rock.

Celestial (by pMad ft. Lunar Paths) starts with a three-note keyboard riff, and a steady pulsating drum beat. The song has an ethereal keyboard playing. I like the clean rhythm guitar that enters the song in the middle. I hear what sounds like a fiddle or violin. “All I wanted was you. Your constellations, your stars.” The vocalist (pMad) has a very Irish voice, sounds like a lot of classic UK and Irish bands. Sort of like if Morrissey sang everything an octave or two lower.

Voices (by Killtoys ft. pMad) starts with a compelling fast single note guitar riff, playing the same note in rhythm with the cleverly arranged drum beat. Loving the lead guitar that enters this track – very Jimmy Page. I like the heavily distorted rhythm guitar that becomes more prominent in the middle of the song, as well as the clean guitar and cool keyboard riff that enter. Then we’re back to the heavy nasty (in a good way) rhythm guitar. The vocals fit well over this excellent music bed. I like the xylophone ending.

Zero Trust Mentality (by Lunar Paths) starts off with fast, repeating (echoing) drum beats and a keyboard being played to match this fast rhythm. The vocals enter “are you safe?” A circus keyboard enters in the background. The pace of this song is very fast, very pulsating, like trance music. I like the heavy guitars and sound effects littered throughout the track. I can see this hypnotic track being popular in EDM circles.

SCORE/Excellent: This album is an intercontinental genre-mixing musical collaborative triumph! Three diverse artists collaborating across seas and borders to create something truly unique. Personally, I’m really drawn to the Killtoys alt-rock contributions to this album, although the whole album is excellent. A fun idea and a very very interesting listen. Much love, Beth

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