Dark noise rock/indusgaze duo -ii- (pronounced Two Eyes) have released their new single “The Birth of Venus”, offering a first look at their upcoming album “Apostles of the Flesh”, due out October 3, 2025.

Led by Hélène Ruzic (vocals) and Benjamin Racine (guitar/production), -ii- fuse sensual tension and rhythmic aggression in a self-described “ghost wave” aesthetic. Based in Nancy, France, the project expands into a quartet for the new LP, with the addition of David l’Huillier (drums) and Maxime Keller (Dvne, ex-Tess) on bass and keyboards.

“The Birth of Venus” was the first track written with the full lineup and places particular emphasis on rhythm. “Its intention is to translate a certain interest in rhythm,” Racine explains, adding that it is “a prototype of tribal rock emphasizing the strike on the skins more than on the cymbals.”

Originally written as a much heavier piece, the track evolved into a hybrid of dub-like pulsations and tango influences. Racine noted inspirations such as the drummer of Daughters on tracks like “Less Sex” and “Satan in the Wait”, aiming for “a simple but powerful rhythm, based on writing patterns outside of rock.”

According to Ruzic, the song also acts as a vehicle for personal revelation. “I drew on my personal history for the lyrics of ‘The Birth of Venus,’” she says. “I’ve been questioning my sexual orientation since adolescence.” The narrative explores a woman in a heterosexual relationship giving in to the desire to sleep with another woman.

The track’s video, directed by Racine, shows the symbolism of Sandro Botticelli’s famous painting and features Ruzic embodying multiple contemporary Venuses, emphasizing fluid sexuality and rejecting binary norms.

About -ii-

-ii- was founded in Nancy, France, by Hélène Ruzic and Benjamin Racine. The duo coined their sound ‘ghost wave’ or yet ‘indugaze’, blending elements of noise rock, industrial, shoegaze, and dark ambient textures. Their debut LP “Collapse” was independently released in 2022, characterized by dense sonic layering and introspective themes.

For “Apostles of the Flesh”, out October 3, 2025, -ii- expanded into a quartet and refined their sonic identity further, integrating live instrumentation and rhythm-driven experimentation. The current lineup includes Ruzic, Racine, David l’Huillier, and Maxime Keller.

The band cites influences such as Nine Inch Nails, Chelsea Wolfe, Zola Jesus, and HEALTH.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out now is a brand new video, “Void”, by the Nancy (FR) based act -ii- (aka Two Eyes). The video announces the band’s upcoming album “Extinction” which will be released on March 10th and it’s promosing something really enjoyable as you will hear and see.

“Void” is the first track from this album and the accompanying video explores films like “The Neon Demon” by Nicolas Winding Refn and the experiments of Henri-Georges Clouzot (and his unfinished work “L’Enfer”).

About -ii-

After a first EP (“Lighthouse”, 2018) -ii- started touring in France, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Italy to promote their EP. Two years later the band released “The Rings of Saturn” single showcasing a more industrial sound.

Shortly after the release of this single, the world found itself confined due to COVID. The group took advantage of this period of enforced seclusion to release two single (“Crowns” and “Summer in the Wait”) plus some remixes (Chelsea Wolfe, Health, Daughters) and started the production on their first full length “Extinction”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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The Nancy (FR) based dark pop/post-punk act ii (pronounced as Two Eyes) have released their very first video, which is a cover over “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” by Bauhaus. You can watch the video below.

The band already released a first 2-track download single, “Two Eyes (early mix)”, earlier this year which can be downloaded below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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