It was about a year ago when I heard about the album “Echo Drama” by the great Post-Punk duo Ductape. We loved that album. It’s still on our personal device and easily made the grade as one of my top five albums of the year in 2024. Like all of the music I’ve heard from the Swiss Dark Nights label, it had staying power. I’ve kept up with the singles the band have released of late which were non-LP, but that’s all changing now.

The group and their label aren’t waiting 5-10-20 years and are re-issuing the album in a ten track deluxe version, so if you’ve not gotten a hard copy yet, the time is riper than ever now. The new edition is currently in pre-order at the Swiss Dark Nights Bandcamp store as a DL/CD/CDX/and LP for its April 4th release date.

Ductape: Echo Drama Deluxe – CH – CD/LP [2025]

1. Red Scar 4:21
2. Closer 3:50
3. The Unknown 3:53
4. Evil Me 4:14
5. Fade Away 3:38
6. Blue Black 4:43
7. Anafor 3:49
8. Veil Of Lies 3:56
9. Duvar 3:40
10. Insan Senfonisi 4:21

The new singles were originally released in January and February and are “Blue Black” and “Fade Away.” They’ve been slotted into the middle of the album sort of like how the earliest CD bonus tracks were 40 years ago! “Blue Black” was a pensive and melancholy song with a foundational urgent synth pulse to anchor it as Furkan’s glorious, ringing guitar was an emotional counterpoint to the song’s steely beats. As the song progressed it became more swept away in its emotions as the tension gave way to release.

“Fade Away” was more driving and angular from the start with the the strident rhythm guitar maintaining strict discipline form the start. I liked how the playing in the middle eight slackened the tempo for a few bars only to mercilessly resume and double down on the rest of the song. With Çağla’s vocals adding a desensitized, unremitting melancholy to it’s startling cold ending.

Though I loved “Echo Drama,” it was a brief album at about 32 minutes. There’s nothing wrong with “leaving them wanting more.” Indeed, I find it preferable to overstaying your welcome, but at under 45 minutes, the deluxe “Echo Drama” is in no danger of that happening. The formats are as follows:

• DL – €12.00
• CD [digipak] – €14 [400 copies]
• CD [digipak/o-card/booklets] – €18 [100 copies]
• LP – clear smoke vinyl – €25.00 [250 copies]
• LP – red/black splatter vinyl – €25.00 [250 copies]

I liked how there were two CD formats [for a change], each with the same music, but different degrees of packaging sophistication. I’m pleased that there’s no chasing down multiple formats to get all of the music. But there are also bundle offers at the Swiss Dark Nights store if you need more than one. As I’m thoroughly enjoying the music of Ductape, I await their next opus with open ears. DJ hit that button!

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