ACTORS + CVLT Nation

ACTORS: Vancouver post-punks' new album "Acts of Worship" now streaming

With their stunning new album, Acts of Worship, out tomorrow on Artoffact Records, Vancouver post-punks ACTORS have revealed the full album in all its glory, via an exclusive premiere with CVLT Nation.

Stream Acts of Worship, here:
https://cvltnation.com/actors-acts-of-worship-lp-stream/

Buy the album, here:
https://actors.bandcamp.com/album/acts-of-worship

ACTORS' 2018 album, It Will Come to You, also released on Artoffact, put the band's moody, anthemic style on the map, earning these words from Post-Punk.com: "Vancouver’s brilliant post-punk and new-wave quartet ACTORS continue their flair for sonic cinematics... The atmosphere quivers with singer Jason Corbett’s crooning reverb augmented by shivering guitars and stark synths." Three years later, the follow-up, Acts of Worship, is an album of driving beats, massive hooks, and dramatic atmospheres – equally melancholy and electrifying, it plays like the soundtrack to an imaginary Michael Mann film.

ACTORS' Jason Corbett has stated: "It’s about embracing who you are and having the confidence to do what you feel and not be afraid. I made the first ACTORS album without caring about who would hear it. I think people can feel honesty in music whether they realize it or not. The new album is exactly where I wanted to go with ACTORS. It expands on the last album lyrically and sonically. It’s the next step of our journey."

Corbett points to legends who changed the face of pop music in their day – David Bowie, Roxy Music, Duran Duran – as inspirations. The album also sees the debut of new bassist Kendall Wooding; Corbett notes that the current lineup, completed by synth player Shannon Hemmett and drummer Adam Fink, perfectly reflects the balance of masculine and feminine energy contained within the songs.

Acts of Worship was produced by Corbett at his own Jacknife Sound in Vancouver; his sonic sculpting is a major component of ACTORS' sound, as well as the sounds of other artists like Bootblacks and SPECTRES. 

Photo by Shannon Hemmett

Out today: FOREIGN BODY SENSATION - The Echo Is in Code

 

Stream the new album by FOREIGN BODY SENSATION, The Echo Is in Code, in its entirety over at Northern Transmissions, here:

https://northerntransmissions.com/foreign-body-sensation-stream-new-lp/

Foreign Body Sensation is the work of Louie Schultz-- a compositional mastermind crafting truly compelling modern electronic music. A classically-trained musician, Schultz refined his pop sensibilities in the bands Army Navy and Nightjacket. While Foreign Body Sensation obliquely utilizes pop economics, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙘𝙝𝙤 𝙄𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙙𝙚 was born more from the skills Schultz has honed as a music editor and composer, collaborating with the likes of Mark Mothersbaugh, Cliff Martinez, Terrance Blanchard, and Paul Haslinger. In fact, it was while working with Haslinger -- a former member of Tangerine Dream -- that Schultz turned full force to his love of analog synthesizers (he claims to now have a collection of around 40 synths at his disposal). Fickle, yet capable of generating an almost endless array of textures and sounds, Schultz took his time not only discovering the unique capabilities of each machine, but integrating them into his compositional process. In some cases, many of the pieces that became 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙘𝙝𝙤 𝙄𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙙𝙚 had lingered for 5 years or longer -- each new discovery tempting a brand new series of compositions. Eventually, Schultz found the right combination of ambient and discordant pieces, judiciously experimenting until they weren’t simply washed out or noisy, but imbued with deliberate momentum.

The Echo Is in Code will be released digitally as well as on cassette via DUNE ALTAR, today.

Preorder the limited cassette (seafoam green - ltd to 50), here.

 

In a sense, 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙀𝘾𝙃𝙊 𝙄𝙎 𝙄𝙉 𝘾𝙊𝘿𝙀 -- the debut album by 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗜𝗚𝗡 𝗕𝗢𝗗𝗬 𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 -- plays like a survey of modern electronic music. You’ll hear familiar favorites, old and new: Morton Subotnik, Morton Feldman, Olivier Messiaen, Eno, Tangerine Dream, Pauline Olivieros, Laurie Anderson, Haxan Cloak, David Behrman -- even Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood. Still, while Foreign Body Sensation has studied the greats, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙘𝙝𝙤 𝙄𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙙𝙚 is not a pretentious tourist trap of analog noodles satisfied by the sound of their own oscillations. Rather, these 9 pieces benefit from well-tempered timbres, powerful dynamics, unexpected pop detours, and a natural flow that gives the album’s sequencing a stirring continuity that balances waves of bliss with startling gasps of modern doom and a peaceful resolution. All of these qualities are evident on 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙘𝙝𝙤 𝙄𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙙𝙚's first single, "Ventilator," which wraps the shattered vocals of multifaceted artist, producer, writer & composer Keeley Bumford (who is the driving force behind More Giraffes and Dresage in addition to having her voice featured on various television and film soundtracks) around a minimalist, "Switched On" trap house soundscape.

 

The Echo is in Code LP:

1. Primitive

2. Destroy Date 1

3. Innumerable Dreams in Which I Could Fly

4. Ventilator

5. Destroy Date 2

6. Iridescent Oil Slick Rainbow

7. Violence of the Sun

8. Antibodies

9. Solitary Confinement

 

FOREIGN BODY SENSATION Instagram

ACTORS - "Cold Eyes"

ACTORS: BrooklynVegan premieres "Cold Eyes" video off Vancouver post-punks' new album "Acts of Worship"

Vancouver band ACTORS has released new single "Cold Eyes" and revealed the song's official music video via an exclusive premiere with BrooklynVegan.

Stream the video, here:
https://www.brooklynvegan.com/vancouver-post-punks-actors-prep-act-of-worship-watch-the-cold-eyes-video/

"Cold Eyes" appears on the stunning new album, Acts of Worship, out October 1st on Artoffact Records. Pre-order the album, here:
https://actors.bandcamp.com/album/acts-of-worship

ACTORS vocalist/guitarist/producer Jason Corbett states: "'Cold Eyes' was written and recorded in one day. Sometimes that just happens and it ends up being the band’s favorite song on the new album. We can’t wait to play it live!” A North American tour booked for Fall is being rescheduled now; stand by for updates.

ACTORS' 2018 album, It Will Come to You, also released on Artoffact, put the band's moody, anthemic style on the map, earning these words from Post-Punk.com: "Vancouver’s brilliant post-punk and new-wave quartet ACTORS continue their flair for sonic cinematics... The atmosphere quivers with singer Jason Corbett’s crooning reverb augmented by shivering guitars and stark synths." Three years later, the follow-up is poised to break hearts and set fire to dance floors. Acts of Worship is an album of driving beats, massive hooks, and dramatic atmospheres – equally melancholy and electrifying, it plays like the soundtrack to an imaginary Michael Mann film.

Corbett points to legends who changed the face of pop music in their day – David Bowie, Roxy Music, Duran Duran – as inspirations. "It’s about embracing who you are and having the confidence to do what you feel and not be afraid," he says.

Acts of Worship was produced by Corbett at his own Jacknife Sound in Vancouver; his sonic sculpting is a major component of ACTORS' sound, as well as the sounds of other artists like Bootblacks and SPECTRES. The album sees the debut of new bassist Kendall Wooding and Corbett notes that the current lineup, completed by synth player Shannon Hemmett and drummer Adam Fink, perfectly reflects the balance of masculine and feminine energy contained within the songs.

Photo by Shannon Hemmett

TUNIC - "Apprehension"

TUNIC: Decibel premieres dazzling animated video for new single "Apprehension" from upcoming Artoffact Records album "Quitter"

With Tunic's new single "Apprehension" released today via all streaming platforms, Decibel Magazine has premiered the track's official music video.

Stream the "Apprehension" video – a dazzling animated clip – here:

https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2021/09/10/video-premiere-tunic-apprehension/

The clip was created by Sam Neal, the artist also responsible for all of Tunic's album art, and Dimitris Armenakis.

Tunic guitarist/vocalist David Schellenberg states: "This song is about giving up, being defeated and getting bulldozed by a relationship."

"Apprehension" appears on Tunic's upcoming sophomore album, Quitter, out October 15th on Artoffact Records. Engineered and mixed by Jace Lasek (Godspeed You! Black Emperor) at Private Ear Studios in Winnipeg and mastered by Carl Saff (Bambara, Human Impact), Quitter is a concept album whose songs explore various manifestations of "quitting."

Pre-order the album, here:
https://tunicband.bandcamp.com/album/quitter

Tunic can trace its musical roots to the caustic, angular stylings of Big Black and The Jesus Lizard and their colleagues from across the AmRep and Touch and Go rosters. Pummeling drums, distorted bass, discordant guitar, and wild-eyed vocals combine and lurch forward like an Army tank of sound. Yet, Tunic is more transparent than its noise-rock heroes ever were. There is an earnestness that links the Winnipeg outfit to a line of more heartfelt ancestors — post-hardcore gods like Drive Like Jehu and Fugazi. Frontman David Schellenberg lays his soul bare as he screams his head off about the most personal of topics.

Prior to 2020, Tunic prided itself on playing a minimum of 100 shows per year. This attitude led to shows across North America with the likes of Metz, New Primals and Winnipeg brethren KEN mode. Stay tuned for news of the next live appearances.

Photo by Adam Kelly

Out today: WINGTIPS - Cutting Room Floor

Wingtips' sophomore album, Cutting Room Floor, is out today on Artoffact Records.

Stream the album and buy it, here:

https://wingtips.bandcamp.com/album/cutting-room-floor

More info, here:

https://thechainworld.blogspot.com/2021/06/wingtips-cutting-room-floor.html

"Vincent Segretario and Hannah Avalon have developed an aesthetic steeped in love for theater and the dreamy, dreary sounds of gothy 80s and 90s synth-pop bands, but on Cutting Room Floor they also embrace new directions and experiments—as well as some of their best songwriting yet."

–Chicago Reader

"Enchanting post-punk... Addictively danceworthy."
–CVLT Nation

"Wingtips’ sophomore album Cutting Room Floor is a love letter to the classic dark pop sound of the 80s, while highlighting songwriting that transcends nostalgia with shimmering melodies and heartfelt emotions that resonate throughout."
–Post-Punk

"The duo leans heavily on dark, ’80s sounds, while modernizing their sound... Choruses are filled with hooks that are unforgettable."

–New Noise

"With a sound that falls somewhere between the synth-pop yearning of Korine and the romantic post-punk of Artoffact label mates ACTORS, WINGTIPS are busy furthering not only goth-pop’s modern resurgence, but their own sound as well."

–Vanyaland

"An electropop duo with a sound reminiscent of the new wave radio hits of the 1980s, with just enough modern experimentation to keep them from being merely a nostalgia act. "

–Dallas Observer

"Dark, infectious pop."

–Echoes and Dust

"On 'Cutting Room Floor,' the duo sought to break down their self-styled brand of 'new romantic for post-millennial end times' and distill it down into what makes it a success: brighter melodies, deeper emotions and a much more stripped-down approach... They have created a blend of sounds that definitely leaves the 80’s influences apparent, but also showcases their unique talents and a level of honesty that makes good pop songs great."

–Nine Circles

"Think of it as 'new romantic for post-millennial end times' (the band’s own words). Catch them on tour in North America in 2021 and 2022, especially if you’re a fan of their contemporaries like HEALTH and CHVRCHES."

–Off Shelf

Photo by Carlos Azuara