THISTLE SIFTER:
Thistle Sifter is the cinematic post-rock project of English musician Pete Barnes (Utrecht, NL). Catapulted into disarray following a serious cycling accident in November 2020, Thistle Sifter became a platform for Barnes to express his personal struggles and emotions, transporting listeners into an ethereal world of serene post-rock, spacey synth ambience, evolving soundscapes & lo-fi folk. Forever The Optimist is Barnes’ latest and most ambitious work to date, offering a more eclectic and symphonic sound to his ever-expanding body of work. Where previous albums A Spectral Moon (2022) and Circles (2024) strongly focused on personal struggles with health, acceptance and letting go of the past. Forever The Optimist deals with existential issues caused by man's neglect of our natural environment and fellow humans in the pursuit of neverending growth. Heavily inspired by writers Jay Griffiths, George Monbiot, Omar El Akkad and Siddharth Kara, the eight compositions touch on themes such as land use, animal rights, cobalt mining in the Congo, climate breakdown, neo-liberalism and the media’s complicity in genocide. Each track on the album is accompanied by thematic visuals. Thistle Sifter has been captivating audiences with its immersive audiovisual live experience throughout Europe in recent years, including AFAS Live in Amsterdam (with Sigur Rós), Le Guess Who? Festival (Utrecht) & Roadburn Festival (Tilburg). The band has shared a stage with Oh Hiroshima (Sweden), Midas Fall (UK), Törzs (Hungary) & Mother of Millions (Greece). The live line-up features Pete Barnes (guitar & synths), Nils Breunese (guitar), Alex Rushmer (bass & synths), Koen Klarenbeek (drums). Forever The Optimist will be released on 6th February 2026. A full band audiovisual release show to celebrate this release will take place on Saturday 7th February at dBs in Utrecht (NL) and will be followed by shows throughout Europe.
https://thistlesifter.com 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7F-zEFDavQ

WE MISSED THE SKY:
wemissedthesky is an innovative postrock project that combines emotive instrumental music with mesmerizing visual art. Based in Stuttgart, the project was formed by a group of talented musicians and visual artists who share a passion for pushing creative boundaries. With a sound that ranges from delicate and melancholic to explosive and intense, wemissedthesky creates a captivating sonic landscape that takes listeners on a journey through a range of emotions. Their debut album "Sojourner" is available on all streaming platforms and Bandcamp.
https://wemissedthesky.com

there were others:
there were others is a post-rock band based in Stuttgart, Germany, whose soundscapes draw from neighboring genres, such as atmospheric ambient structures and dense shoegaze layers. The four musicians have gained diverse experience through various projects and bands and have come together to form a purely instrumental band, combining their individual influences and sound aesthetics.
https://instagram.com/there.were.others