MUSIC PREMIERES
There’s a cultlike atmosphere inside The Garage, the 800-capacity north London sweatbox, that’s driven entirely by a band who didn’t seem to exist before the start of 2025. “I queued an hour for a shirt!” one young, excited fan of President tells NME – though, wearing the same shirt and bow tie combination as the group’s nameless vocalist, he’s already dressed the part.
This frenzy started in February when Download Festival subtly added an unknown act named President to its 2025 line-up. Much like masked sensations Sleep Token (who share the same management), the anonymous band communicate through cryptic social media messaging; President call their gigs ‘rallies’, like Sleep Token’s ‘rituals’. When their debut single ‘In The Name Of The Father’ arrived in May, the start of the presidential ‘campaign’ was met with a wave of press coverage and playlist placements.
Fierce debate around their sudden rise still engulfs the heavy music community. Naysayers sneer “industry plant”, that they’re aping Ghost and Sleep Token with gimmicky masks, fuelled by a marketing budget that emerging artists don’t have access to. Others argue that a supergroup of established musicians have the right to utilise their springboard of prior success to their advantage if they wish. Indeed, Revolver recently revealed President’s vocalist has been in the industry “for quite some time”, though his “identity and affiliations have never been officially revealed – and he intends to keep it that way”.
Sweat is already dripping from our singer’s disturbing mask as he arrives at the glowing red lectern onstage. He’s soon overpowered by the audience – a running theme across the night – who are awestruck and roaring from minute one. The unreleased ‘Dionysus’, assuredly cut from the same pop-metal cloth as opening track ‘Fearless’, packs some punch when it reaches its breakdown.
Dressed in black boiler suits and balaclavas, the other three members remain stoic and robotic as their frontman paces left and right during the Bicep-esque ‘Rage’. Incredibly, the crowd scream its lyrics louder than when they launch into a slick, surprise cover of Deftones’ ‘Change (In The House Of Flies)’. Though they’ve been shoehorned into the rock and metal world, President clearly hold allure for a diverse range of music fans.
The vocalist’s gravel and grit shine through in the restless ‘Destroy Me’, the night’s comfortable highlight, before he’s drowned out again during fan favourite ‘In The Name Of The Father’. A pre-recorded instruction to “remain alert, stay united and above all, stay loud” is the closest we get to verbal communication with President – although the frontman does blow us a kiss as he departs the stage.
After just six songs (there’s no outing for ‘Conclave’ from forthcoming debut EP ‘King Of Terrors’) and 30 minutes, some of the euphoria does fall off a cliff. By announcing more headline dates only for 2026, President have perhaps bought themselves the time they need to flesh out their live show with more material. This assertive debut performance, nevertheless, has secured them our vote.
‘Fearless’
‘Dionysus’
‘Rage’
‘Change (In The House Of Flies)’ (Deftones cover)
‘Destroy Me’
‘In The Name Of The Father’
MUSIC PREMIERES
Lykke Li didn’t hold back when speaking about the making of her sixth studio album, ‘The Afterparty’, during a listening session in Los Angeles earlier this year. “Let’s talk about the album. It was a motherfucker to make,” she admitted to the crowd. While balancing motherhood, the chaos of modern culture shaped by Trump and AI, and her own desire to create something more “extroverted, impulsive and chaotic” than ‘EYEYE’, as she previously shared with NME, the Swedish alt pop star arrived at a headspace that “feels like it’s 4am and the sun is going to rise”. The record captures that blurry final moment before regret, exhaustion and reality settle in, which makes it even more emotional considering she has hinted this could potentially be her final album.
There is something fitting about how brief the project feels. With only nine tracks running across 24 minutes, it never overstays its welcome. Lykke immediately drops listeners into the atmosphere with opener ‘Not Gon Cry’, painting a picture of those lonely early morning hours with the line, “No angels here tonight, no dancing queens.” Alongside the shadowy pulse of ‘Happy Now’ and the twisted disco energy of ‘Lucky Now’, she revisits the emotional yet dance driven spirit of her earlier material while blending in the sharper, more confident attitude heard on ‘So Sad, So Sexy’ and the shimmering influence of her 2019 Mark Ronson collaboration ‘Late Night Feelings’.
The emotional fallout begins to settle in quickly. ‘Famous Last Words’ carries a lush orchestral sadness as Lykke reflects on lessons that only came after years of chaos and late nights, confessing, “I had to crash and burn to tell the tale.” Then comes ‘Future Fear’, a delicate acoustic track with robotic textures that stares directly into anxiety and uncertainty with the chilling question, “I’m going to a dark place, do you need anything?” Meanwhile, ‘So Happy I Could Die’ glows like sunrise after a sleepless night, holding onto fleeting moments as she sings about “slipping through the hourglass”.
Throughout the album, Lykke Li vividly captures the beauty and wreckage of reckless nights with the vulnerability that has always defined her music. On ‘Sick Of Love’, she channels heartbreak into revenge, wanting to “make you beg for it” after rejection in a way that feels spiritually connected to Robyn’s ‘Dancing On My Own’. One of the strongest moments arrives with ‘Knife In The Heart’, a track that fully embraces her desire to become the “rock god” and “fuck boy” she spoke about, firing back at anyone who tries to tear her down with the words “you can spit, you can walk on me” while delivering one of the catchiest songs she has created in years.
Closing track ‘Euphoria’ leaves behind the same bittersweet feeling that runs through the rest of the album. With sweeping strings, pulsing beats and emotional intensity, Lykke Li reminds listeners that nothing lasts forever as she sings, “Player play your song, waste the night away”. Like the fading energy of the perfect night out, ‘The Afterparty’ ends in a haze of beauty and uncertainty. If this truly is her farewell, she leaves with one final intoxicating statement, though it still feels like there could be another chapter waiting.
