Swiss indie emo rocker Alex B Kurbis has shared his latest creation, New Toys, an EP born out of spontaneity, introspection, and a deep love for experimentation.
A follow-up to his steady pace of one album and one EP per year, New Toys serves as both a reflection of his artistic growth and another proof of his restless creative drive.
Recorded in a bomb shelter studio nestled in the Swiss southern prealps, the EP feels as grounded as it is exploratory, blending personal anecdotes with a sharp, self-aware humor that characterizes Kurbis’ style.
Kurbis introduces New Toys with characteristic candor, explaining how his tendency to live in the future—always fantasizing about the next step—shaped the EP’s creation.
As he wrapped up his prior album, he was already working on the next, embodying the philosophy of “never finish something before you’ve started the next.” This restless creativity is evident in every riff and lyric of New Toys, a project sparked by both necessity and invention.
The EP’s title stems from Kurbis’ practical response to last summer’s Swiss tour, where he acquired new equipment to support live performances. Items like a new (old) Les Paul, a DL4 delay pedal, and various effects became integral to the EP, not just tools for performance but catalysts for inspiration. “To stop me feeling guilty about buying stuff I might not actually need, I put it to work on these new songs,” Kurbis admits. The resulting tracks showcase how his playful experimentation with these “toys” drove the EP’s sonic palette.
True to Kurbis’ style, the EP offers a deeply personal yet relatable exploration of growth, self-awareness, and identity.
Whether reflecting on absurd interactions from his day job or drawing inspiration from his wife Alice’s spontaneous moments, Kurbis imbues his music with authenticity and humor. His lyrics often lean into the darker corners of human experience—identity, submission, and even damnation—always delivered with a dry, unflinching wit.
The EP’s heart beats with the kind of storytelling that makes small moments resonate on a universal scale. Take, for example, a track inspired by overheard comments about his real name or another built around snippets of his wife singing in the shower. These vignettes offer glimpses into Kurbis’ life, tying his music to the everyday absurdities and fleeting beauty that define it.
Sonically, New Toys balances Kurbis’ indie-punk roots with flourishes of emo and experimental tones, creating a collection that feels cohesive yet varied. From riff-driven rockers to quieter, introspective moments, the EP reflects his ability to channel emotional complexity into deceptively simple arrangements. While every track stands as its own narrative, together they weave a broader story of exploration.
Kurbis is quick to credit his collaborators, from longtime mastering engineer Joe Caithness to musicians like Miguel K Kurbis, whose contributions helped shape the EP’s sound. The DIY ethos is alive and well here, with a touch of camaraderie that underscores the project’s personal nature.
For a deeper dive into the themes and stories behind each track, Kurbis offers a detailed track-by-track commentary that adds even more texture to the EP’s narrative. His reflections on songs like “Necronomicon &co,” “Open Heart Burglary,” and “Unisex Names” reveal the thought and humor behind each piece. Scroll down to read his full commentary in his own words.
New Toys is available now for free download on Bandcamp.
Necronomicon &co is the sweetest song about damnation to hell you’ll hear this year! Some lyrics take me by surprise and the first lines I wrote for this went like this: “It strikes me as someway off, when your asbestos eyes are casting looks down into my lungs. Still here I am, taking the deepest of breaths.” Where do you go from there if not to the depths of a horror fan’s inspiration well?
And so the new pedals were very useful when recreating my version of quotes from a few old movies. Maybe you’ll recognise them.
I swear I can hear some voices towards the end that I didn’t put there. Maybe this song is haunted.
Open Heart Burglary was supposed to be in the vein of Last Days Of April but it turned out reminding me more of Superchunk. The main new toy on this was an acoustic guitar I had bought because I was asked to play an acoustic set. I hated playing without a band and so I’m not doing that again! But since I now have an acoustic guitar, it’ll have to go on a few songs here and there, right? This one is about the constant growth, self assessment and self awareness that most of us go through in one way or another. Maybe not alpha male types… but none of these songs are for them, they can fuck off.
Interlude is exactly what it says on the tin. I caught my wife Alice B Kurbis singing in the shower one day, and it was lovely. I also had a guitar part I couldn’t really play that well, so Miguel K Kurbis @mikemusokelly came to the rescue and played it for me. I think the two separate things fit together nicely and I love it when things click without trying.
Unisex Names is the rocker here. The working title for this was acdc and obviously there’s no similarity at all, but there was intent. These were the riffs I had since halfway through the previous record. The DL4 is the toy of choice here. Great fun!
If anyone reading this works in customer service, I’m sure you can agree that some customers say the stupidest things with the least amount of self awareness to us poor bastards that have to listen to them. I’ve lost count of the little bits of ignorance thrown at me by complete strangers. The latest one was a comment on my unisex name, my real one (which you should know by now after checking discogs) and how “it’s normally a woman’s name blah blah these days blah blah gender blah blah you don’t know what to say anymore blah blah”.
Emo Supremo is the closer and I think this reminds me of Mineral, even though the working title was Manchester Orchestra. Not sure how that happened! For the inspiration on this one I will thank my pal Flo LeBeau and his band Weak Tyrant @flolebeau @weaktyrant. I was learning their songs on drums and some of it stuck, plus one of their songs is about optimism, which I’m not too familiar with, at least not in my songs! And so the idea came to journey the lyrics from miserable to hopeful. And what’s more emo than that I ask you? Nothing. More DL4 at the end of this one!