Copenhagen based Experimental/Rock In Opposition band Antistatic released the first single “Angels vs. Peasants” taken from upcoming debut album “Relics” due out on January 26, 2024 via Cuneiform Records. Stream the track through the YouTube player below:
No machines were harmed in the making of “Relics,” Antistaticâs first full-length release. In fact, no machines were used, beyond those necessary to record this young Danish quartetâs music. The precision and intricacy of the bandâs carefully stacked rhythms might suggest that loopers and drum machines played some part in Relicsâ creation, and they didâbut only as inspiration.
âOur music wouldnât have been made if it hadnât been for drum machines, or industrial machines in general,â says guitarist Laust Moltesen Andreassen.
Despite it being their debut, the group already play with a rare and unified sense of purpose. As can be heard here, they use their carefully honed skills in the service of a collective sound that fully deserves that often-overused term, unique.
What you wonât hear are exactly the things that most rock bands depend upon. Andreassen and Mads Ulrich are hyper-intellectualized exponents of what Keith Richards once called âthe ancient art of weaving,â bringing two-guitar interplay to new levels of complexity and sophistication. At times bassist Janus Bagh takes on the timekeeping duties of a bass drum or orchestral timpani, while Soren Høiâs carefully tuned drums embrace melody.
Ulrich has developed a very personal style of playing in which he often smacks the strings to elicit floating harmonic clouds. Andreassen, in turn, plays almost exclusively finger-style, using different muting techniques to get dry, percussive sounds that are reminiscent of the lutes and idiophones he encountered while studying and travelling in West Africa.
Itâs as if Antistatic is a Rock band thatâs been repurposed as a percussion ensemble, an observation the musicians happily accept. This is Rock/’Zen Funk’ with a very distinctive, dry performance edge!
Pre-Order the album on Bandcamp: https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/relics-2
Tracklist:
01. Angels vs. Peasants
02. Flag
03. Rivulet
04. LoadingâŚ
05. H/G
06. Hive I
07. Relics
08. Dronte
09. Hive II
Lineup:
Søren Høi / Drums
Laust Moltesen Andreasen / Guitar
Mads Ulrich / Guitar
Janus Bagh / Bass
