News
3 November 2026 – Her New Knife Release Lyre and Push Philadelphia's Underground Guitar Scene Into Darker Territory
By Editorial Team - November 3, 2026
Summary
Philadelphia shoegaze/alternative outfit Her New Knife unveil lyre, fusing abrasive guitar walls, trip-hop percussion, and classical intimacy.
Key Facts
- Philadelphia alternative band Her New Knife share single 'lyre', their first music since 2024's chrome is lullaby.
- Written on classical guitar by frontman Edgar Atencio and infused with trip-hop and piano-like textures.
- Joining Slow Pulp on extensive North American tour beginning November 9 in Washington, DC.
- Entities: Her New Knife, Edgar Atencio, lyre, Julia's War Recordings, Slow Pulp, They Are Gutting A Body Of Water, Philadelphia
- Tags: her-new-knife, edgar-atencio, lyre, shoegaze, alternative-rock, post-punk, philadelphia, julias-war
Philadelphia alternative-rock group Her New Knife have released "lyre", their first new single since the 2024 EP chrome is lullaby. The recording continues the band's exploration of distorted guitar music while introducing an arrangement that moves between restrained post-punk atmosphere and considerably heavier passages.
Her New Knife attracted attention through their earlier recordings on Julia's War Recordings, particularly the remixed composition "mouth+++", which received recognition among notable contemporary shoegaze releases. The group subsequently contributed to projects involving Björk material and They Are Gutting A Body Of Water. Frontman Edgar Atencio has explained that "lyre" began as an arrangement written on classical guitar during a period when he felt disconnected from music.
Returning to that instrument helped restore his enthusiasm and contributed to the completion of the band's forthcoming album. The composition also incorporates rhythmic influences associated with UNKLE and Massive Attack, while the guitar arrangements explore piano-like textures. Actual piano appears within the recording as well. Despite its abrasive presentation, Atencio describes the underlying composition as a straightforward expression of affection for music itself.
Her New Knife will join Slow Pulp for a North American tour beginning November 9 in Washington, DC, with subsequent performances in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Toronto, Detroit and Chicago. The new single demonstrates how contemporary guitar bands can draw upon electronic production traditions without abandoning their original musical identity. Apparently rediscovering one's enthusiasm for songwriting sometimes requires nothing more complicated than a classical guitar and the determination to make the finished recording sound considerably less classical. Explore heavy atmospheric sounds in our shoegaze hub and check upcoming dates in our music news archive.