NEW SINGLE RELEASE – Bar Italia ‘Jelsy’
26 October 2023
The industrial four-piece, who claim their roots in South London, have undergone an evolution that can only be compared to the likes of New Order’s post-Joy Division efforts. Emerging as a different animal in 2019 with double single Fast and Loud, the band had a sound that they claim was more ‘The Crow’ than their current ‘Blade’ (1998) inspired iteration.
Speaking on their evolution frontman Harrison said; “It came together really, really quickly gold. We already knew we had a pretty certain direction we were heading in any way from the previous EP (Touch the Ground). We kind of already felt like we’d shifted and what we were aiming for was going to be a bit different to the old EP’s, which I felt pretty disconnected with anyway.” It feels like another lifetime ago, a little bit, partly because of COVID.”
As music and film fanatics the band’s post-covid metamorphosis was built on the influences of movies like Blade and the bands who scored them such as Massive Attack, instead of The Crow inspired melodies of past: “It’s kind of like, in my eyes The Crow is a bit more goth kind of thing, and maybe inprevious iterations of the band or thought processes we would have maybe thought we were more aligned to that.”
“But I think ours kind of shifted a little bit and it felt a bit more like Metropolis-esque, Blade, Matrix kind of style. “The other two films that I massively wanted to reference in the visuals was Fallen Angels which is a film by Korean director Wong Kar–Wai which is beautiful, like it’s stunning, and it’s really, really claustrophobic.
“I always find of that era; all the darkness is all really green, it’s just a really interesting colour scheme that I really quite like. The other one was Enter the Void, which is another, again, just visually beautiful film.” Referencing music influences Harrison said;
“With gold on the new album, I think it‘s just the type of stuff I was listening to had massively shifted. And I think my eyes were more open about that.” I mean I was listening to loads of nine-inch nails, I was listening to a lot of Massive Attack, a lot of Tricky.”
“And that’s what kept it interesting for this album. I’d like to think that the album itself is pretty diverse. in some of its influences or each track by track or verse by verse. I mean, there’s not like folk bands and mariachi jingles and, you know what I mean? But I’d like to think the way that we’ve maybe pieced it together, the tracks each have their own different stamp on them, which I think was really important for the album.”
Although ‘Effigy’ claims diverse influences from Metropolis, Nine Inch Nails and Fallen Angels, a large contributor to the diverse sound of the band’s first LP was Remy Kabaka Jr of Gorillaz fame. “Working with him in the studio was, was really, really eye opening. I think just the way that he pushed us was really positive because I think he got us to think about the music in a different way, in a way that we’venever really thought about before.”
It feels more complete, rather than just like guitar, bass, drums. Kind of helped us add detail into it without it being self–indulgent, without it being wanky.” “I feel very lucky to have said that I’ve worked with him. He was just great. And he really, like I said, he really pushed us in a, in a really strong direction.There’re definitely things that I’ve learned from that, that I will absolutely carry forward. Which is all you can ask for, right? When you’re a new–ish band like us you want to be taking influence and soaking stuff up.
Another collaborator on the album was Sonny Diperri who mixed ‘Effigy’ singles Gold and Closer“making those tracks shine.” However, with all the differing tones on the album the age-old question seemed appropriate “what genre is the new album?” In reaction Harrison replied, “We are forever going to be tarnished with the post punk brush, and that’s fine by me.”
“I’m actually not remotely bothered by it. I think some musicians, or some bands get really wound up by it. I just see past it and it’s fine. It is closer to more of a rock album and I think it’s maybe like industrial rock. Maybe that’s what I would call it because I wanted it to feel like it’s in an urban setting with buildings. It’s supposed to be set in this somewhat mythical nightclub. I wanted it to have a feeling ofbeing in a city and it being in a really densely populated place. And I think that’s what massively inspired the cover art for the album as well.”
Harkening back to the “claustrophobic” nature of Wong Kar–Wai’s Fallen Angels Harrison said “It needed to feel like it was somewhere busy. Although it was on the secluded edge of a very, very claustrophobic,and densely populated place. It’s supposed to feel like the entrance to somewhere, and that’s as far as I wanted it to lead, do you know what I mean? I wanted it to look somewhat familiar, but also somewhat like, what is that? What is that place? Or what are those?”
Circling back to the band’s pre– ‘Touch the Ground’ discography Harrison said; “It totally feels like another band, in my eyes. The band get wound up by me saying this, but like, we won’t go back to playing some of those songs. We just won’t, because it doesn’t feel right to be playing them. It doesn’t feel right for me to be singing those words.
“Maybe the other guys in the band feel differently about their part and they feel fine. But for me, just singing some of the songs just doesn’t feel like remotely who I am. And when it comes to effigy, in my eyes, it is hands down the best thing we’ve written.”
Even though the band insists “there’s no going back from here now. I think we’ve set our stall out and this is what I want the direction to be going in.” The eclectic frontman is still open to another shift in direction “I think what we’ve always done in the band is shift slightly and be inspired by new things and being and be taking influence from other areas.
“I think that is inevitable, the outlook I’ve always had on it is to constantly be open–minded because I want to take this band as big as it can go as far as it can go and make it as big as it can be. So, I think for that you have to remain open–minded about what it is. We can do or should be doing or pushing ourselves. I like that thing of it just ever so slightly evolving each time.”
“Whether it means you’re going to be enormous or not, it doesn’t matter.”