Great new prog you must hear from Karmakanic, Earthside, Bjørn Riis and more in this week’s Tracks Of The Week

Welcome to this week’s Tracks Of The Week. Six brand-new and diverse slices of progressively inclined music for you to enjoy.

So perhaps unsurprisingly the band of the moment, Solstice, won last week’s Tracks Of The Week with their new single Firefly, but the folk proggers were pushed all the way by John Lodge’s reflective Whispering Angels with Dim Gray in third.

The premise for Tracks Of The Week is simple – we’ve collated a batch of new releases by bands falling under the progressive umbrella, and collated them together in one post for you – makes it so much easier than having to dip in and out of various individual posts, doesn’t it?

The idea is to watch the videos (or listen if it’s a stream), enjoy (or not) and also to vote for your favourite in the voting form at the bottom of this post. Couldn’t be easier, could it?

We’ll be bringing you Tracks Of The Week, as the title implies, each week. Next week we’ll update you with this week’s winner, and present a host of new prog music for you to enjoy.

If you’re a band and you want to be featured in Prog‘s Tracks Of The Week, send your video (as a YouTube link) or track embed, band photo and biog to us here.

KARMAKANIC – COSMIC LOVE

Swedish prog outfit Karmakanic return with their first new album for nine years when they release Transmutation, through Jonas Reingold’s own label, Reingold Records on March 7. The melodic prog of Cosmic Love is the first music from the new album, featuring the unmistakable strains of John Mitchell on vocals and Randy McStine on guitar. The star-studded album also features guest spots from Steve Hackett, Simon Phillips, Craig Blundell and more…

“How do you choose a single for a prog album,” laughs Rengold. “You don’t. Some things aren’t meant to be overthought – just felt. I love writing uplifting tracks celebrating the forces that truly unite us. So get on board, get started – join me in the Cosmic Love.”

“It was an absolute pleasure to work with Jonas,” adds Mirchell. “We’ve discussed collaborating a few times over the years and we’ve become good friends. So it was great to finally fly to Vienna and make it happen. I’m so happy with how it’s all turned out.”

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ANDRE DRAGE – IN BETWEEN IS ALWAYS FORWARD

You may know drummer Andre Drage from Norwegian metal trio Draken, but he’s creating a far different sound on his new solo album Journeyman, which is released through his own Drage Records on March 14. Here he draws inspiration from prog, ambient music, Norwegian folk and the music of Malawi, creating a sound that will delight fans of Frank Zappa, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Soft Machine and Gong.

“I wrote In Between Is Always Forward at a time where I had to make many compromises in my life to reach new musical goals and personally develop,” says Drage. “The song itself is a prog, jazz, and funk hybrid about finding a way to balance life’s obligations with the pursuit of music and art.”

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EARTHSIDE – FROZEN HEART – BURNING WORLD

US prog quartet Earthside celebrate the start of their very first US headline tour with a standalone release of Frozen Heart – Burning World. Typically epic and cinematic in scope, the track is the only one from sessions for their recent acclaimed second album Let The Truth Speak, accompanied, as ever, with atypically eye-catching video.

“Not for any lack of quality—if anything, it may even be among our individual favourites from the full batch of material,” the band explain. “We really wanted a Closest I’ve Come – vibe track on LTTS, but nothing we were generating like that was gripping us—at least until Frank’s entrancing, icy intro came out of the ether one day in practice, and the rest of the song just poured from it. Unfortunately, the track just came together too late in the writing process for us to feel ready to record it with the others—and on a record that didn’t have much room for another odyssey track. But in celebration of Earthside’s long-awaited headline tour, we wanted to give the song the proper recording it deserved.”

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DAVE FRANCIS – KITTENS & RAINBOWS

You may know prog bassist Dave Francis by his other name and other band – Dave Rowe from The Mighty Ra! Francis released his debut solo album Beautiful Insanity back in 2023 and will be releasing a second later this year. The playful Kittens & Rainbows is the first taster form that album.

“This tongue-in-cheek prog anthem, and its accompanying video, makes an affectionate but humorous dig at some of the genre’s more pompous traits, whilst retaining musical respect for the classic prog rock format,” says Francis. “Fans of The Mighty Ra should enjoy this tasteful teaser, which serves as a suitable appetiser for things to come!”

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BJØRN RIIS – GONE

Prolific Airbag guitarist Bjørn Riis will release his latest solo album, his fifth, through Karisma Records on April 11. It’s called Fimbulvinter, a title that refers to Norse mythology and the tale of the long winter that leads up to Ragnarok – the end of the world and a new beginning. Riis plays all instruments and sings the vocals, although the album also features contributions from Airbag’s Henrik Bergan Fossum (drums), Arild Brøter from Pymlico (drums) and Kai Christoffersen. New single Gone is the first music to be taken from the album.

“Gone was the first track I wrote for the album,” says Riis. “It’s one of those songs you just want to play loud in your car going fast on the highway! I wanted it to have that pop and monumental feel to it, while dealing with a somewhat serious matter. It’s about the fear of not being enough, of being rejected and dealing with that by wanting to escape and flee. I’m playing all of the instruments, with Kai Christoffersen on drums and my long-time collaborator, Vegard Kleftås Sleipnes, mixing and co-producing.”

DEREV – CYCLONE

Toronto prog quintet Derev will release their debut full-length album, Troubled Mind, on March 26. The yearning, epic tones of Cyclone is the second single to be taken from the upcoming album, and Derev will be touring throughout Ontario and Quebec over the coming months to support the new album.

“Building on the narrative, this song revolves around the negative thoughts that plague our minds, constantly reminding us of our perceived unworthiness and shortcomings,” the band state. “This mental state, “Imposter Syndrome” makes us doubt our skills and successes, leaving us feeling unworthy, ashamed, and fearful of being exposed.”

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