Unter Null: ‘Coming Up To Breathe’ Signals a Defiant Return to the Industrial Music Scene

After more than a decade without new material, Erica Dunham has reintroduced her solo project Unter Null with the release of ‘Coming Up To Breathe’ on April 4, 2025. The single marks a notable return for the American electronic artist, whose early 2000s work established her as a significant contributor to the industrial and harsh EBM scenes. Known for fusing classical music training with aggressive electronic composition, Dunham’s reappearance comes at a time when interest in genre-blending electronic music is seeing renewed attention. Released as a free digital download, the track serves as a re-entry into a music landscape that has shifted in her absence but still carries space for the distinct identity she helped define.

The release is being positioned as a deliberate turning point. Dunham has described the single as the result of a long period of personal and creative reflection, framing it as a statement of reclaiming artistic direction. With the track co-produced by Brendin Ross, ‘Coming Up To Breathe’ marks not just a resumption of activity but a recalibration of focus. For audiences familiar with Unter Null’s earlier catalog, the single represents continuity with the past while also indicating a shift toward future work. For newer listeners, it functions as an accessible introduction to a project rooted in the history of industrial music, now returning with a renewed sense of purpose.

Tracing the Arc of Erica Dunham’s Electronic Career

Erica Dunham began her musical development in Seattle, Washington, where she studied piano, cello, and guitar from a young age. Her early classical training would later inform the complex compositions that define her electronic work. At 17, she founded Unter Null in 1998, establishing the project as an outlet for her interest in industrial and electronic music. This early phase of her career reflected a DIY ethic, with Dunham handling much of the composition, production, and performance herself, combining the formal structure of classical music with the abrasive textures of industrial soundscapes.

Her first self-released album arrived in 2001, followed by ‘Neocide’ in 2002 on Annihilvs Records, a New York-based label focused on experimental and noise genres. A significant turning point came in 2005, when she signed with the Belgian label Alfa Matrix, known for supporting a wave of electronic body music and industrial artists in Europe and North America. That partnership led to the release of the ‘Sick Fuck’ EP and ‘The Failure Epiphany,’ the latter gaining critical attention and establishing Unter Null within the broader industrial scene. However, progress was disrupted in late 2008 when a fire destroyed her studio and much of her recording equipment. Despite this loss, Dunham was able to recover data from damaged hard drives and completed the album ‘Moving On’ in 2010. In parallel with Unter Null, she launched a side project, Stray, in 2008 to explore a more melodic, introspective sound. The project produced ‘Abuse by Proxy’ and, later, ‘Letting Go’ in 2012, broadening her musical reach and underscoring her interest in emotional and tonal complexity.

The Intent Behind ‘Coming Up To Breathe’

The release of ‘Coming Up To Breathe’ marks a deliberate re-entry for Dunham, who has characterized the single as the conclusion of “a long period of reflection” and the beginning of a new phase in her creative life.

In public statements, she has emphasized the track as a personal milestone, highlighting her intent to reclaim her artistic voice after years of inactivity. Thematically, the single addresses ideas of self-reclamation and renewal, conveyed through both its title and musical structure. Rather than revisiting the internal conflict and emotional volatility that defined earlier works, the track signals a pivot toward stability and intention. For Dunham, whose discography has frequently engaged with themes of psychological distress and emotional rupture, ‘Coming Up To Breathe’ represents a shift in tone—more composed in its delivery and more focused on charting a path forward.

Produced in collaboration with Brendin Ross, ‘Coming Up To Breathe’ maintains the foundational elements of Unter Null’s earlier style—distorted beats, layered synthesizers, and an abrasive sonic palette—but incorporates a more restrained melodic approach. The production reflects Dunham’s classical training while remaining rooted in the aggressive aesthetics of industrial music. Unlike previous releases, which often emphasized confrontation and catharsis, this track is more controlled in its pacing and more refined in its arrangement. The absence of official reviews at the time of release has not diminished interest. Anticipation from long-time followers of the project, coupled with visibility through digital platforms, suggests a receptive audience eager to engage with Dunham’s latest work. While critical consensus is still forming, early listener feedback points to a favorable reception, noting the single’s cohesion and emotional clarity as key strengths.

Visual Identity: The Cover Art

The cover art for ‘Coming Up To Breathe’ presents a haunting visual that aligns closely with the single’s thematic core. The image depicts a human figure submerged underwater, their body partially obscured by a swirl of fabric, shadows, and rising air bubbles. Rendered in deep reds and golds, the artwork creates a sense of suffocation and suspension, echoing the emotional state conveyed in the track. The title’s phrase—’Coming Up To Breathe’—gains added resonance through this imagery, suggesting not just physical immersion but a metaphorical resurfacing from internal pressure, stagnation, or emotional collapse.

The visual direction reinforces Dunham’s longstanding interest in blending psychological depth with stark, visceral imagery. The artwork eschews overt symbolism in favor of a more sensory, affective approach, inviting the viewer to experience the weight and struggle embedded in the image. The subdued lighting, limited color palette, and lack of clear facial features all contribute to an atmosphere of anonymity and universality—this could be anyone, anywhere, caught in the liminal space between despair and recovery. The presentation is consistent with Dunham’s aesthetic history, in which cover art plays a crucial role in extending the emotional architecture of the music. In this case, the image does not merely accompany the song but functions as a visual articulation of its central theme: emergence from a long period of disorientation and the search for breath, direction, and renewal.

Finding Her Voice Again in a New Era

‘Coming Up To Breathe’ arrives at a moment when themes of renewal and self-determination have become increasingly prevalent in contemporary music. In the aftermath of a global pandemic that disrupted not only the music industry but the creative process for artists worldwide, listeners have shown a heightened interest in works that reflect introspection, endurance, and transformation. Dunham’s return under the Unter Null moniker aligns with this broader cultural moment, offering a narrative that is both personal and widely relatable. The track’s emphasis on reclaiming voice and reentering public creative space mirrors the trajectory of many artists navigating new creative contexts in a changed world.

Dunham’s longstanding integration of classical music training with harsh electronic production has maintained its relevance as younger musicians continue to experiment with genre hybridity. Her work offers a model for artists seeking to bridge structured musical composition with experimental electronic forms, particularly within underground and alternative scenes. As music production becomes increasingly accessible, and as cross-genre influences are more readily shared through digital platforms, the kind of technical fluency and emotional directness that characterizes Unter Null’s catalogue continues to resonate. With plans for a full-length album and the potential return to live performances, Dunham is positioned not only to reconnect with established audiences but to engage a new generation of listeners. In doing so, Unter Null may once again serve as a reference point for how personal narrative and formal innovation can coexist within an evolving industrial landscape.

Inside the Comeback: Reflections from Artist and Scene

In a statement shared through her official channels at the time of release, Dunham described ‘Coming Up To Breathe’ as a moment of renewed creative intent. “This song is about reclaiming my voice, stepping into a new chapter, and unlocking the full energy of Unter Null once again,” she wrote, framing the single as both a personal declaration and a professional reawakening. The comment reflects more than a simple return to recording; it signals a conscious decision to reestablish the identity and artistic direction that defined her earlier work. The theme of renewal, central to both the song’s lyrics and its production, aligns with the broader narrative of an artist reemerging after an extended period of inactivity.

From an industry standpoint, Dunham’s reappearance has drawn attention as a meaningful development within a genre that, while increasingly diffuse, still values artists with clear aesthetic vision. Observers within the industrial music community have noted that her return reintroduces a distinctive compositional style—one shaped by classical training but executed through the aggressive, often confrontational vocabulary of electronic body music. Her ability to merge structured musicality with abrasive sound design has long set her apart from peers in the field. As a result, ‘Coming Up To Breathe’ is being viewed not only as a personal statement, but also as a contribution that reaffirms Unter Null’s historical role in shaping the broader contours of the genre.

A Collaborative Threshold: Unter Null’s Role in ‘Hollow’

Dunham’s reentry into music production has extended beyond her solo efforts. Her recent collaboration with the Los Angeles-based dark electro group Frontal Boundary on the single ‘Hollow’ illustrates both her ongoing relevance and her versatility within a shifting industrial music landscape. Released on March 27, 2025, by Remission Entertainment, the track brings together Dunham’s signature intensity in electronic composition with Frontal Boundary’s emphasis on emotional depth. The collaboration reflects a shared focus on themes such as grief, identity, and psychological fragmentation, while also emphasizing a joint dedication to technical precision and expressive clarity in production.

The track positions Dunham not as a guest contributor, but as a fully engaged co-architect of a composition that bridges two creative lineages. Her input adds sharpened textures and rhythmic density to Frontal Boundary’s layered arrangements, reinforcing the song’s underlying narrative of emotional collapse. The result is a track that feels cohesive rather than segmented, with both acts contributing distinct but complementary elements. For Dunham, whose past work often explored internal turmoil through a solo lens, ‘Hollow’ demonstrates her ability to collaborate without compromising artistic integrity—integrating seamlessly into a group dynamic while retaining her recognizable sonic imprint.

The collaboration has also reinforced Unter Null’s relevance among emerging voices in industrial and dark electronic music. Critics and fans have praised the synergy between the two projects, pointing to ‘Hollow’ as a successful model for how cross-generational partnerships can reinvigorate genre boundaries. For Dunham, the single represents more than a featured appearance—it is a reassertion of creative vitality, accomplished not through retrospective appeal but through active contribution to a forward-facing release. In aligning herself with Frontal Boundary, an act rapidly gaining recognition for its emotional depth and technical ambition, Dunham reinforces her position not only as a legacy figure but as a participant in shaping industrial music’s contemporary direction.

Industrial Music Then and Now

Industrial music first emerged in the late 1970s as an experimental and confrontational form of sound art, initially shaped by acts like Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire. Rooted in avant-garde aesthetics and characterized by its use of mechanical noise, distortion, and transgressive themes, the genre evolved over the following decades to include a wider spectrum of subgenres, from electronic body music (EBM) and power noise to dark electro and rhythmic industrial. By the early 2000s, industrial music had moved beyond its underground origins, developing a global network of labels, clubs, and festivals while retaining its anti-mainstream ethos and emphasis on sonic intensity.

Unter Null emerged during a period of renewed international interest in the genre. Beginning in the late 1990s, Erica Dunham introduced a distinct approach that incorporated her formal classical training into the aggressive sound structures typical of industrial music. Her early work stood out for its fusion of harsh electronic elements with melodic undercurrents, as well as for its emotionally candid lyrics—often dealing with personal trauma, mental health, and identity. These characteristics differentiated Unter Null from many contemporaries, offering a perspective that was at once technical and intimate. At a time when the genre was largely dominated by male-fronted acts, Dunham’s presence also expanded the visibility of women within the industrial scene, contributing to a broader diversification of voices and narratives.

In recent years, industrial music has experienced a modest resurgence, driven in part by the blending of its core aesthetics with more accessible or genre-crossing styles such as techno, synthwave, and post-punk. Artists are revisiting foundational techniques while updating production tools and performance practices to meet current technological standards and audience expectations. In this environment, Dunham’s return is not merely nostalgic; it resonates with ongoing conversations about authenticity, innovation, and resilience within the scene. ‘Coming Up To Breathe’ enters a musical landscape that is both more fragmented and more interconnected than when Unter Null last released new material, making the reappearance of the project particularly well-timed.