Unter Strøm return with their third single, ‘Fragment’, released today, July 31. The project brings together John Kunkel (The New Division, John Grand) and Alex Gonzales (Matte Blvck), whose partnership fuses progressive electronic music with industrial textures, sharp songwriting, and production tailored for immersive club environments. Early support from tastemakers such as Above & Beyond’s Group Therapy, Armin van Buuren’s A State of Trance, Ferry Corsten, and Markus Schulz has positioned the duo within the progressive and industrial electronic landscape, where sonic depth and structural clarity are prioritized over music that hops on fast trends.
‘Fragment’ distinguishes itself from Unter Strøm’s previous singles as the first track crafted entirely in a shared studio session. At Los Angeles’ Sound Factory, Kunkel and Gonzales dedicated two uninterrupted days to a process of continuous exchange, building from a blank session and allowing each idea to inform the next. The arrangement evolves fluidly, rarely repeating, resulting in a composition shaped by their instincts. Around the 1:50 mark, listeners are treated to a break in synths allowing for the depth of the track to pull you in as you are left with just the beat before the track starts building up for one of the most satisfying drops in techno of 2026. Aaron Short (The Naked and Famous, So Below) mixed the track, while mastering was handled by Mike Marsh, whose credits include Depeche Mode, Massive Attack, The Prodigy, and The Chemical Brothers.
Initially intended as an exclusive live ID, the Sound Factory session soon revealed ‘Fragment’ as central to Unter Strøm’s artistic identity. Free from deadlines or external expectations, Kunkel and Gonzales shifted from remote file sharing to in-person collaboration, allowing the track’s momentum to guide the creative process. The autonomy of those two days now informs the duo’s approach, with spontaneous intuition forming the core of their evolving sound.
Stream ‘Fragment’:
