This single was released on Wednesday, and I found out about it yesterday and I’m wasting any time in discussing it right now. I’d not heard of Ariel Maniki + The Black Halos before this hit my inbox yesterday and this is to my detriment. Particularly since they have been releasing music for a decade. Their new single, “Pieces” was as auspicious an introduction as I could imagine. And we especially love how the influence of Post-Punk has spread far beyond the borders of the UK to take strong root in San José, the capital city of Costa Rica.

With their last album, “Fractals,” in 2023, the band reconvened to plot their new recordings but found them selves at a creative impasse. Leading to the band renting a cabin in the mountains for a little isolation from the energy of the city of San José. They discussed what they wanted to achieve and then let the results manifest as the songs quickly arrived and were recorded to make this new single.

Ariel Maniki + The Black Halos: Pieces – CR – DL [2025]

1. Pieces 4:36
2. The Veil 4:56

Mysterious harmonics swelled up from the depths in the intro before the insistent throb of Eva Red’s bass and the seriously flanged guitar coalesced for a classic vibe where the line between a Post-Punk and Gothic sound was deliciously blurred. All of this hooked my ear immediately, but then it all reached another level once we heard the voice of Ariel Maiki. The man was rocking a soulful baritone that made this already delicious music that much better!

Then the synths of Janice Black hit the chorus like rays of sunshine as the chorus kicked in and Maniki started to project that powerful voice. Shifting dramatically on the spectacular middle eight where the music shifted into minor key with a riffing redolent of techno, albeit with a slower, more sensual attack. Then the chorus returned for the glorious climax to the song. Where the music dropped out on a drumbeat to leave the last word to those swirling harmonics one more time. The song was an evocative cocktail of doubt, nostalgia, and hope that make one reach for the “repeat” button.

Wisely, the band crafted a smart “B-side” in “The Veil,” that played in a very different musical sandbox. Opting to curtail the tempo to something more studied and methodical while the drum machine beat offered a motorik rhythm that was completely transformed by the slow BPM into something entirely different. Reflective piano shared the melodic leads with the guitar until the string synths joined the fray; adding their crystalline delicacy. When Maniki began singing it wasn’t alone. The Black Halos were providing strong support; sometimes in unison. At others with support melodies. Eva’s bass exerted a Simon Gallup-like pull on the extended instrumental coda where the tempo began its inevitable decay into ever slower orbits until only the piano was left. Listen below.

This trio have come out of nowhere for me but now I need to investigate their substantial back catalogue in my copious free time. The songs, arrangement, and playing were all hitting the sweet spot, but I have to admit that it was down to Ariel’s excellent singing where the band crossed a line into something spectacular for my ears. Something that doesn’t happen every day for me. And now I can’t wait to hear their next big move. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait terribly long. But until then, today is a Bandcamp Friday, so let’s make it count! The band are asking a nearly shameful $1.00 for the privilege but be sure to top up the payout since a single this wonderful is surely worth triple that amount! DJ hit that button.

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