{"id":19766,"date":"2026-05-01T14:10:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T19:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/?p=19766"},"modified":"2026-05-01T14:10:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T19:10:24","slug":"laibach-musick-album-their-most-pop-outing-to-date-out-today-on-cd-vinyl-via-mute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/?p=19766","title":{"rendered":"Laibach &#8216;MUSICK&#8217; Album THEIR MOST POP OUTING TO DATE OUT TODAY ON CD &amp; VINYL VIA MUTE"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"690\" src=\"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Laibach_UrsaPremik1838-s-1024x690.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19767\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.4840686983172382;width:561px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Laibach_UrsaPremik1838-s-1024x690.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Laibach_UrsaPremik1838-s-300x202.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Laibach_UrsaPremik1838-s-768x518.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Laibach_UrsaPremik1838-s-1536x1036.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Laibach_UrsaPremik1838-s-2048x1381.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong><em>photo credit Ur\u0161a Premik<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>(US\/CANADA RETAIL RELEASE MAY 8TH)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>he new video features excerpts from Slovenian-Macedonian film, Fantasy (2025, dir. Kukla), which follows three friends exploring gender, desire and self-discovery \u2013 themes explored in the track &#8211; when they meet a trans woman named Fantasy. \u2018<em>Fluid Emancipation<\/em>\u2019 unfolds as a controlled release of identity, structure, and certainty, operating in a space where form dissolves, yet never completely disappears. Its rhythm remains disciplined but unstable, while the melody is seductive and elusive. Identity appears as something in constant transformation; emancipation is not a singular rupture, but an ongoing process of evasion, movement, and adaptation and the video reflects and reinforces this.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The track also reflects on the values of contemporary big tech systems &#8211; where endless circulation produces an illusion of freedom and emancipation, all the while eroding reflection, judgment, and critical distance \u2013 while simultaneously pointing to the individual\u2019s capacity to break from these constraints &#8211; an ability shaped by decades of social struggle, which have made it possible to move beyond imposed expectations of class, gender, and sexuality.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"nv-iframe-embed\"><iframe title=\"Laibach - Fluid Emancipation [Official Video]\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WT6MSQVaVvo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>\u201c\u2026 a hyperreal reflection of the sound of now, presented with all the satirical verve we\u2019ve come to expect\u201d &#8211; <\/em>Classic Pop 4\/5*<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>\u201cIt\u2019s a mediation on music itself, and our reasons for creating more of it than we can listen to. It\u2019s also Laibach\u2019s most pop album to date and at least as curious and contradictory as any of its predecessors\u201d &#8211; <\/em>Uncut 7\/10*<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>\u201cAllgorhythm\u201d is a hilarious takedown of mindless internet scrolling culture, the band turning modern pop on its head as a means of social commentary<\/em>.\u201d \u2013 Consequence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Laibach\u2019s latest album, described by Uncut as a <em>\u201cmeditation on music itself\u201d<\/em>, is both a celebration and playful critique of our present era of warped reality and gaudy AI copycatting; a collection of undeniably catchy pop that revels in hyper-driven post-modernity. <em>\u201c<\/em><strong><em>Perhaps these are the final moments when creating music purely for enjoyment still carries broader significance \u2013 before alien, generative intelligence outplays and outperforms us all<\/em><\/strong><em>,\u201d<\/em> say Laibach.<em> \u201c<\/em><strong><em>So, we seized the moment.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The group took a maximalist approach while making the album in their Ljubljana studio. Surrounding themselves with every music-making artefact they could find &#8211; from analogue synths to toys to computers stuffed full with sound apps &#8211; they invited collaborators from Slovenia and beyond.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Guests on the album each bring new aspects to the Laibach machine and include electropop producer Richard X (who co-produced several tracks); Senidah, a genre-blending artist shaping the new Balkan sound; Ghanaian artist Wiyaala, the \u201cLioness of Africa\u201d, who they first saw in an underground club in Ljubljana; long-time collaborator Donna Marina M\u00e5rtensson; Manca Trampu\u0161, the frontwoman of the Slovenian indie band Koala Voice; and Gregor Strasbergar from the band MRFY, one of the most compelling alternative acts in Slovenia.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>From the opening track, \u2018<em>Musick<\/em>\u2019, a kaleidoscope of sounds and melodic phrases is unleashed, fusing remnants of 21st century pop, and Laibach\u2019s own musical history, into something both familiar and uncanny. A mass of voices \u2013 including Ghanaian singer Wiyaala \u2013 proclaim their musical sickness and obsession. <em>\u201cOur aesthetic gravitates toward alienation, so we deliberately transformed all vocals, including our own, to sound foreign, unfamiliar, and detached,<\/em>\u201d say Laibach.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"nv-iframe-embed\"><iframe title=\"Laibach - Musick (feat. Wiyaala) [Official Video]\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lUm6zahJgP0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The video for \u2018<em>Musick<\/em>\u2019 was filmed in the Latvian Academy of Sciences, a hyperreal totem of Socialist Classicism and depicts Laibach\u2019s frontman kept alive by the very thing that sickens him: music. The video is directed by<strong> Morten Traavik<\/strong> \u2013 who arranged for the band to travel to North Korea and documented it in the film Liberation Day (2016) and directed their 2014 video for \u2018The Whistleblowers\u2019 \u2013 who explains, \u201c<strong><em>In line with Laibach\u00b4s general artistic and philosophical values, we\u00b4re aiming for the perfect union of George Orwell and Lady Gaga.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The album also features the algorithm skewing track, \u2018<strong><em>Allgorhythm<\/em><\/strong>\u2019, an audacious mash-up of electronic pop tropes, hooks and beats. In both content and form, it deftly equates the manipulative nature of algorithms with that of music itself \u2013 both spells that we find ourselves under the control of.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"nv-iframe-embed\"><iframe title=\"Laibach - Allgorhythm (feat. Wiyaala) [Official Video]\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/erR5PSfKo7w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Although the whole album is reflective of our current cultural moment, tracks like \u2018<em>Luigi Mangione<\/em>\u2019 stand out as starkly topical. Its lyrical parade of anti-vaxxers, live-streamers and conspiracy theorists reflects our increasingly hostile and divided world, where viewpoints cultivated in unregulated internet forums have broken containment into real life.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Elsewhere on the album, \u2018<em>Singularity<\/em>\u2019 is typical of Laibach\u2019s iconoclastic approach, a kitschy and ironic amalgamation of pre-existing material that reflects the state of the contemporary music industry. A gleeful cacophony of toy instruments and tropical beats, melds with a borrowed melody from Mozart\u2019s \u2018<em>Eine Kleine Nachtmusik<\/em><em>\u2019<\/em> and juxtaposed with Slovenian folk motifs, much as Mozart himself wove elements of folk music into his work to reach a wider audience. Laibach see musical copying as a trajectory, with AI only turbocharging a long-term memetic process. On \u2018<em>Resistencia<\/em>\u2019 they revisit their 2014 track \u2018<em>Resistance is Futile<\/em>\u2019, inspired by the hive-mind Borg aliens from Star Trek. Here, concepts of militant assimilation are reprised as sci-fi Latin pop, aptly sung in Spanish. \u201c<em>Over the last decade, the industry has massively colonised the music of the Spanish-speaking world,<\/em>\u201d explain Laibach. <em>\u201cJust as the Borg assimilate other species to survive. \u2018Resistencia\u2019 is a reaffirmation that resistance is futile. This applies to Laibach as well \u2013 our genetic code was written according to Borg principles from the very beginning.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The natural gravitas of the lead vocalist\u2019s voice on \u2018<em>Resistencia\u2019<\/em> contrasts with the raspy tone of guest vocalist Gregor Strasbergar of Slovenian alt rock band MRFY. <em>\u201cOver the past decade, we&#8217;ve been increasingly inspired by the vibrant and diverse music scene in Slovenia,<\/em>\u201d state Laibach<em>. \u201cThis album became an opportunity to engage with some of them directly.\u201d <\/em>These additional vocalists all bring distinct colour to<em> MUSICK,<\/em> articulating the album\u2019s tension between artificiality and disruption. Koala Voice frontwoman Manca Trampu\u0161 is freewheeling and unpredictable on \u2018<em>Keep It Reel\u2019,<\/em> a dense fusion of old-school hip-hop, metal and hyperpop. Long-time Laibach collaborator Donna Marina M\u00e5rtensson is a perfect pop foil on both <em>\u2018Singularity<\/em>\u2019 and \u2018<em>Yes Maybe No<\/em>\u2019. On \u2018<em>Love Machine<\/em>\u2019, parodic industrial beats are contrasted with the smoky sensuality of Balkan pop star Senidah\u2019s delivery. <em>\u201cHer voice challenges clich\u00e9s of feminine expression and disrupts the norms of a male-dominated industry. Working with her was a statement in itself.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The album closes with \u2018<em>Das g\u00f6ttliche Kind\u2019 (\u201cThe Divine Child\u201d)<\/em> written both about and with AI \u2013 the inevitable endpoint of MUSICK\u2019s concept. <em>\u201cWe tasked it with generating a (self) critique; the kind a fallen god might deliver to the children who dethroned her,\u201d<\/em> explain Laibach. <em>\u201cTo our delight, it conjured a quasi-Wagnerian vision inspired by G\u00f6tterd\u00e4mmerung (The Twilight of Gods). AI is not particularly intelligent (yet), but it excels at finding, (re)combining, and hallucinating. This last quality is the one we value most.\u201d<\/em> The track is indeed hallucinatory, an ethereal dance-pop anthem made of wispy, half-remembered parts.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>As in their previous work, MUSICK&nbsp;sees Laibach take the tools of authoritarianism into their own hands. Their use of algorithmic tricks, AI systems and pop tropes are not simply a critique of the sickness-inducing music industry, but something more radical \u2013 an acceptance of the tension between human and machine, and the potential for resistance to the algorithm. Each track adheres to familiar tropes, forms and themes \u2013 but this compliance holds the potential for subversion. <em>\u201cThe entire album engages directly with this tension,<\/em>\u201d say Laibach. \u201c<em>The tracks are designed to bypass algorithmic detection, to implant doubt &#8211; the most essential virtue of thought &#8211; and to reinstate the disruptive, playful folly of the court jester in a system that demands seamless predictability.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Laibach embark on the first leg of their MUSICK tour on May 18th in Graz, before travelling through Europe in the summer. Ahead of their tour, Laibach will perform a very special \u201cdress rehearsal\u201d in Trbovlje on May 14th. For tickets and further tour announcements, visit<a href=\"https:\/\/ymlps7.com\/92a16uswmqsakaeqmqyaaaubuyavauqssh\/click.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> the band&#8217;s live page<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Laibach_MUSICK_artwork-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19768\" style=\"width:621px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Laibach_MUSICK_artwork-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Laibach_MUSICK_artwork-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Laibach_MUSICK_artwork-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Laibach_MUSICK_artwork-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Laibach_MUSICK_artwork.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Laibach\u2019s MUSICK is out now on vinyl, CD and digitally via Mute<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Listen to \/ buy MUSICK<a href=\"https:\/\/ymlps7.com\/98872uswmquaaaeqmqyadaubuyacauqssh\/click.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong> HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Connect with Laibach: <a href=\"https:\/\/ymlps7.com\/71530uswmqwaiaeqmqyadaubuyalauqssh\/click.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Website<\/a> &#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/ymlps7.com\/5053buswmqqacaeqmqyataubuyadauqssh\/click.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a> &#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/ymlps7.com\/393f7uswmqyavaeqmqyaxaubuyakauqssh\/click.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Facebook<\/a> &#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/ymlps7.com\/07986uswmysadaeqmqyakaubuyacauqssh\/click.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">X<\/a> &#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/ymlps7.com\/0dcbfuswmyuafaeqmqyaraubuyaiauqssh\/click.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TikTok<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Mute: <a href=\"https:\/\/ymlps7.com\/28fe6uswmyeadaeqmqyaraubuyapauqssh\/click.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Website<\/a> &#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/ymlps7.com\/94402uswmymapaeqmqyadaubuyalauqssh\/click.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a> &#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/ymlps7.com\/5a5b0uswmyjaiaeqmqyavaubuyakauqssh\/click.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Facebook<\/a> &#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/ymlps7.com\/9cc55uswmybaaaeqmqyaxaubuyacauqssh\/click.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">X<\/a> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/ymlps7.com\/5410cuswmyhakaeqmqyavaubuyazauqssh\/click.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TikTok<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>photo credit Ur\u0161a Premik (US\/CANADA RETAIL RELEASE MAY 8TH) he new video features excerpts from Slovenian-Macedonian film, Fantasy (2025, dir. Kukla), which follows three friends exploring gender, desire and self-discovery \u2013 themes explored in the track &#8211; when they meet a trans woman named Fantasy. \u2018Fluid Emancipation\u2019 unfolds as a controlled release of identity, structure,&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/?p=19766\" rel=\"bookmark\">Read More &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Laibach &#8216;MUSICK&#8217; Album THEIR MOST POP OUTING TO DATE OUT TODAY ON CD &amp; VINYL VIA MUTE<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19766"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19769,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19766\/revisions\/19769"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}