US / THEM: July 2023

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

ANTARCTICA (ex-Christie Front Drive) announces rare 1999 album 81:03 reissue & first time on vinyl, hear first single now!

Photo: Chrissy Piper

“Essential Dream Pop: Blending the saccharine pop pleasures of mid-era OMD, the hearty gloom of Comsat Angels, and the dizzying hooks of The Ocean Blue, 81:03 is far ahead of its time in scope.” — Post-Punk

Solid Brass Records proudly announces the forthcoming reissue, and first time ever on vinyl, of 81:03, the sprawling masterwork of NYC synth/dream pop band Antarctica. The short lived band achieved cult status for the 1999 album, originally released on File 13 Records. The first single "Absence" is available everywhere HERE.

After the breakup of popular Denver band Christie Front Drive singer/guitarist Eric Richter moved to Brooklyn and started Antarctica with other members from the local scene.

After touring in the summer of 1997 in support of their CD/EP 23:03, the band sequestered themselves for several months as they dove deep into the sounds of the NYC electronic music scene, revisited some of their favorite musical output from bands like The Church and Slowdive, and worked to meld the two musical aesthetics into something new and interesting.

In 1999 they enlisted Alap Momin (Dälek, The Lapse) to engineer and produce 81:03 in a way that both captured their electronic explorations and paid homage to their indie heritage. The result was extraordinary! The swooning, syncopated pop of New Order, the dark chill of Pornography-era Cure, the hypnotic pulse of Underworld, and the guitar harmonies of Ride and For Against. Originally released as a 2xCD in 1999 on File 13 Records, 81:03 is an expansive and textured example of electronic-infused shoegaze music. It is dark, contemplative, and at the same time eerily uplifting. Almost 25 years later, 81:03 still feels fresh; like a modern soundtrack for those seeking moments of beauty in an increasingly troubled world.

Remastered in 2023 by Collin Jordan at The Boiler Room in Chicago, IL. This is the first time any Antarctica material has appeared on vinyl.

81:03 will be available on limited edition 2xLP on opaque white vinyl and digital on September 15, 2023 via Solid Brass Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.

Artist: Antarctica

Album: 81:03

Label: Solid Brass Records

Release Date: September 15th, 2023

A1: Absence

A2: Tower of Silence

A3: The Velvet Flood

B1: Return to Omma Dawn

B2: The Chrome Selected

B3: Ultra Norsk

C1: Hallucinus

C2: Tektur the Water

C3: Exisis

D1: 7759-60784-1-E

D2: Arctikal

On The Web:

solidbrassrecords.com

instagram.com/solidbrassrecs

linktr.ee/antarctica_8103

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Mario Infantes (vocalist of Metal Blade's Cult of Lilith) shares spellbinding AI cat video for "Purrxistence" from solo album Antidote to a Turbulent Mind

“Has a very cinematic feel to it, almost like the soundtrack to a spy movie. The Icelandic composer has a knack for electronic music.” — Metal Injection

"A startling solo debut... From dungeon to daylight, electronic instrumental therapy." -- Echoes & Dust

"Infantes steps away from the Icelandic progressive death metal style to take listeners on a synth-driven journey into his artistic psyche. The artist skillfully weaves 8-bit chiptune, Kitaro-inspired ambient pieces, and tension-filled horror movie soundtracks into a mesmerizing atmospheric record." -- Metal Insider

Iceland based artist Mario Infantes shares a spellbinding AI-generated video for the song "Purrxistence" from his newly released solo debut album Antidote to a Turbulent Mind today. Watch and share "Purrxistence" via YouTube HERE.

Hear & share Antidote to a Turbulent Mind album via Bandcamp and Spotify.

Metal Injection recently premiered the single "Explore The Woods..." HERE. Another video launched by Metal Insider shows Infantes hand carving and painting a fantasy diorama model, one of the singer's many areas of expertise in the visual arts, as the song "...And Find My Grotto" plays. Watch/share "...And Find My Grotto" HERE. (Direct YouTube.)

On Antidote to a Turbulent Mind, Mario Infantes, lead singer of Metal Blade signed band Cult of Lilith, has painstakingly crafted a record of synth soundscapes that brings the listener on a voyage deep into the mind of the artist. The album follows a man after he consumes a psychedelic tincture and descends into his own fears, desires and obsessions. The songs range from 8-bit chiptune to Kitaro influenced ambient pieces while also maintaining the tension of a horror movie soundtrack. Infantes weaves these together into a cohesive whole that allows the listener to apply their own interpretation to the journey.

Infantes, the Spanish born singer, is a visual and music artist based in Iceland. His "show stopping vocal power" has drawn the attention of metal fans and publications across the world. Recently he has begun experimenting with synths, drum machines and virtual instruments, the result is his first instrumental album. This is his first album for Lost Future Records.

Antidote to a Turbulent Mind is available on LP and digital, released on July 7th, 2023 via Lost Future Records. Orders are available HERE.

Artist: Mario Infantes

Album: Antidote to a Turbulent Mind

Record Label: Lost Future Records

Release Date: July 7th, 2023

01. Antidote

02. Ecstatica

03. Draumavatn

04. Explore The Woods...

05. ...And Find my Grotto

06. Pulso

07. Purrxistence

08. Inexplicably Long Winter

On The Web:

lostfuturerecords.com

instagram.com/lostfuturerecords

lostfuture.bandcamp.com

linktr.ee/MarioInfantes

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Pleasure Forever (Sub Pop, ex-Red Sparowes, The VSS) shares first single from first NEW album in 20 years

"They don't sound like much you've heard before... This is not rote, predictable stuff." 8.4 -- Pitchfork

20 years after the band’s last proper album Alter was released on Sub Pop — with the catalog number Sub Pop #666, no less — Pleasure Forever returns in August with a new mini-album titled Distal. It’s as hard to characterize as they’ve always been. The first single "Neolith Nonce" is available everywhere via Linktr.ee. And, lyric video via YouTube.

Moments of heavy hitting rock tendencies tie together their continuing exploration of 60s psychedelia and their peculiarly warped feel of classic rock from an alternate universe, dashed with hypnotic and minimal rhythms reminiscent of heady Krautrock. Distal will appeal to fans of Roxy Music, The Doors, The VSS, CAN, Amon Düül II, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds…

Following the surprising and untimely deaths of old friends, tour mates and family in recent years, the members of Pleasure Forever, vocalist/keyboardist Andrew Rothbard, drummer Dave Clifford and guitarist Joshua Hughes reconnected to catch up. They soon began discussing trading home recorded ideas, which led to a frenzy of file trading. A batch of new songs was rather quickly built and the members self-recorded and mixed 7 tracks of material that became Distal.

In the two decades between proper albums, Rothbard has released multiple solo albums under his full name Andrew Douglas Rothbard, Clifford played drums in instrumental post-metal band Red Sparowes, as well as Marriages, Jail Weddings and more, Hughes sang and played guitar in Relapse Records sludge metal trio Rabbits. The three members formerly played together in synth-punk pioneers The VSS in the mid-90s. Pleasure Forever released a collection of B-sides and cover songs Bodies Need Rest in 2007.

Distal will be available on digital and on limited edition clear and black 12" vinyl variants on August 25, 2023 via Solid Brass Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.