July 17, 2026

Unter Strøm announce new single ‘Fragment’ on Breathing Records

Electronic duo Unter Strøm release “Fragment” via Breathing Records on July 24, 2026, written by Alex Gonzales and John Kunkel in one shared session.

Unter Strøm press photo
🇺🇦 Side-Line stands with Ukraine - Show your Support

Unter Strøm, the electronic duo of Alex Gonzales (Matte Blvck) and John Kunkel (The New Division, John Grand), will release the single “Fragment” on July 24, 2026 via Breathing Records. The track mixes techno, melodic house and industrial electronics and is currently previewable on SoundCloud ahead of its full release.

“Fragment” is the first track Gonzales and Kunkel wrote entirely in the same room together. Their first two Unter Strøm singles were developed remotely between the two producers; “Fragment” instead came out of one of the duo’s first dedicated writing retreats, held over two uninterrupted days at Los Angeles’ Sound Factory studio, without a set schedule or deadline.

Unter Strøm wrote ‘Fragment’ together in the same room for the first time

Gonzales and Kunkel began the session with a blank project file, trading places behind the desk as ideas passed between them. Rather than fitting the track into a fixed structure, they let it keep developing, adding new sections whenever the arrangement felt finished. What was originally intended to remain an unreleased live ID gradually took shape as one of the project’s tracks over the course of the session, according to Breathing Records.

“Fragment” was mixed by Aaron Short, whose credits include The Naked and Famous and So Below, and mastered by Mike Marsh, whose mastering credits include Depeche Mode, Massive Attack, The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers. It arrives as a digital single.

About Unter Strøm

Unter Strøm is an electronic duo formed by Alex Gonzales and John Kunkel, based between Los Angeles and San Diego, following years of the pair working together in earlier bands and studio sessions. Gonzales also records as Matte Blvck, the San Diego-based darkwave and industrial trio he leads with Bidi Cobra and Daniel Corrales, whose releases include “Vows”, “Pupula Duplex” and “Soulless”. Kunkel is the Los Angeles-based producer and songwriter behind The New Division, the synth-pop project he has led since the 2000s, is part of the Los Angeles group Trade Secrets, and also produces melodic house as John Grand.

Unter Strøm debuted in 2025 with the two-track single “Breathing”. The duo followed it with “Orynth” on May 15, 2026 and “Fold” on June 12, 2026, both issued through Breathing Records and mixed by Aaron Short. “Fragment”, out July 24, 2026, follows those two singles as the first Unter Strøm track Gonzales and Kunkel wrote and recorded together in one place rather than exchanging sessions between cities.

Since you’re here …

… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can - and we refuse to add annoying advertising. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive.

If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 5 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The donations are safely powered by Paypal.

Select a Donation Option (USD)

Enter Donation Amount (USD)