Progress Productions: Agent Side Grinder – Jack Vegas

Agent Side Grinder - Jack Vegas

Jack Vegas is the sixth album by Swedish electro/post punk outfit Agent Side Grinder. It marks the band’s first exploration of American culture, drawing heavily on the beatnik-era works of Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs, as well as the proto-punk and avantgarde movements — while maintaining a contemporary storytelling perspective.

The American dream becomes a symbol for escape from a Europe ravaged by pandemics, war and financial instability. Lyrical themes revolve around boredom, resilience, government and corporate intrusion, and mental health — with the occasional glimmer of light. It’s a drum machine-driven road movie, plotting its course through the desperate heart of rural Sweden.

The name Jack Vegas’ is derived from a Swedish chain of low-stakes slot machines.

The album has been produced by former ASG member Henrik Sunbring, and recorded in Stockholm during 2022.

Genre-wise Agent Side Grinder has always existed in some kind of twilight zone. Deeply rooted in early electronic and industrial music as well as proto- and post punk, their sound is driven by iterative, suggestive beats and sudden bursts of untamed ferocity, built on equal parts dissonant samples and elegant melodies.

LP / Digital Album

Posted on July 4th, 2023 under Releases, ,

Clear Memory: Clear Memory 010

Clear Memory 010

Entering the two-digit era, Clear Memory presents this carefully curated compilation. Oscillating between Dark Acid Rain and L-Town-(Ultra)-Funk. Six surprises, six boxes of pandora, six welcoming arms, six uncanny offers.

12″ / Digital Album

Posted on July 3rd, 2023 under Releases,

Unknown Pleasures Records: Decade : 10 years of UPR

Decade : 10 years of UPR

10 years of musical discoveries
10 years of sonic & visual beauty
10 years of pleasures and nice meets
10 years of travel and parties
10 years of love and ecstasy
10 years of cultural combat
10 years : past + present + future

THANK YOU!!

Digital Album [free download]

Posted on July 2nd, 2023 under Releases,

Metropolis Records: Zanias – Chrysalis

Zanias - Chrysalis

The creation of ‘Chrysalis’ was a retreat from a seemingly endless string of unfortunate events, a cocoon from which Zanias could weave hope from hopelessness. In each of its eight songs she has engineered unique worlds to express alternate facets of the modern human experience, from burnout and the toxicity of capitalism to processing death and the inherent isolation of personal trauma.

Written and recorded between Berlin and the rainforest of Queensland, Australia, the sound design of ‘Chrysalis’ reflects the rich biodiversity of the latter environment, where she drew much of her inspiration. Her voice shifts and morphs into ghostly, alien forms between catchy hooks that plant this album firmly in the ‘pop’ genre, without losing the underground rawness and lyrical depth for which she is known.

With her third full-length album, Zanias is expressing her truest form thus far, fusing her seemingly discordant influences into a genre-defying electronic artpop, as dark and evocative as it is ethereal and uplifting.

LP / CD / Digital Album

Posted on July 1st, 2023 under Releases, ,