Suburban Spell - Ceremony

Ceremony is the latest release from Melbourne, Australia’s Suburban Spell, featuring two brand new originals and three powerful remixes—including contributions from industrial legend Leæther Strip, trance visionary Ant Trance, and the gloriously dark Ontic. The EP also includes a special remix by Mark Tansley, guitarist of gothic icons Suspiria and Razorfade.

The new tracks—Ceremony and Fingers of Sin—see Suburban Spell stepping into darker, more intense territory. Ceremony pulses with a hard-driving techno energy, drawing inspiration from New Order’s Technique era, while lyrically commenting on society’s rituals and relationships. Fingers of Sin dives deeper still—an evocative darkwave piece echoing early Depeche Mode, exploring the lingering grip of early trauma and the psychological toll of confronting it.

This EP marks an evolution in Suburban Spell’s sound—heavier, rawer, and looking further into the void.

Ceremony opens with a rush of frenetic energy—driving synths and sharp beats that immediately demand attention. Lyrically, the track is classic Suburban Spell: a scathing look at the hollow performance of middle-class life. Ceremony reflects on marriage and other social contracts—the rituals we’re pushed into, designed more to contain than to liberate. As the track closes, it confesses a truth many live but never speak: a marriage never meant to be, a social failure dressed as personal shame. The phrase standing on ceremony becomes a bitter mantra—an acknowledgment of the power these expectations still hold over us.

Track two, Fingers of Sin, explores the voices that get inside your head early—and never leave. It's about the lasting grip of childhood traumas, the way they shape your thoughts and shadow your choices. The song confronts the painful question: is healing always worth it, or does digging deep only bring more damage? In its dark honesty, it suggests that sometimes, survival means suppression.

Two stunning remixes bring Ceremony into new territory. Leæther Strip delivers a brutal, unapologetic take—pure techno-industrial muscle with raw, stripped-down beauty. It hits like a clenched fist to the chest. In contrast, Ant Trance bathes the track in a euphoric 90s trance glow—melodic, heady, and hypnotic. Both reimaginings honor the original while pushing it into unexpected landscapes.

Closing the EP is a blistering remix of Bright Gold Cross, from 2023’s Falling Down album, by Mark Tansley (Suspiria, Razorfade). This version pulls no punches—it’s darker, sharper, and more unapologetic than the original. Tansley takes the track on a detour into shadow, amplifying its tension and gothic edge.