It seems odd that the four-piece Wax Idols reside in Oakland, California. Especially considering the fact that the band’s sophomore LP "Discipline & Desire," out March 26th on Slumberland Records, embodies a dark, full, twisted sound: something that feels more appropriate to the foggy, damp British climate than that of sunny California. But that's Wax Idols -- zigging where other might zag, and always going their own way.

Compared to Wax Idols' debut LP "No Future" (a raw, hook-heavy punk effort written and recorded primarily by Fortune in 2010/2011 and released on Chicago's Hozac Records), "Discipline & Desire" is more a group effort as the band -- Jen Mundy (rhythm guitar/vocals), Amy Rosenoff (bass) and Keven Tecon (drums) -- contributed to the recording and writing process. Fortune dedicated herself to this record for over a year and the band were right there with her, playing with pattern, melody and stretching themselves beyond the comfort of unassuming hooks and into a darker, new wave territory. Discipline & Desire was produced and engineered by Monte Vallier (of Half Church and Swell) and co-produced by Fortune. Mark Burgess (of the British outfit The Chameleons) worked alongside Wax Idols & Vallier as an extra pair of ears and even played bass on the album closer "Stay In." Together they've crafted an album that's sleek and focused without being slick, and dark and intense without being at all humorless.

"Discipline & Desire" builds on Fortune’s debut full length effort in almost every way, rounding out as a far more complete record. The melodies are stronger, the vocals echoed and haunting, and the playing is at an unflagging level of intensity. First single “Sound of a Void” is a storming, full-throated late night anthem, while “Dethrone” and "When It Happens" shimmer and throb, perfect examples of Wax Idols' unique take on pop. Slower numbers like "Scent Of Love" and "Elegua" mesmerize and entrance, and the feedback-laced "AD RE:IAN" is nothing short of a masterpiece, punctuated by bursts of special guest Kristin Dylan Edrich's noise viola. Album closer "Stay In" wraps the up the album perfectly -- a mid-tempo melodic gem with a killer bassline and an uncanny balance of melody and atmosphere.

This is an inventive, brilliant record which solidifies the fact that Fortune is one of the best songwriters hiding in the shadows of the other California, where the sun doesn't always shine. But, judging by this fantastic album, she and her Wax Idols won’t be hiding for long.

*Tour Dates*
3.2 - San Francisco, CA at Brick & Mortar, Noise Pop show /DIIV, Sisu, Lenz
3.6 - Oakland, CA at New Parish w/White Lung
3.7 - San Diego, CA at The Void
3.8 - Tempe, AZ at Sail Inn, Rampage Fest show w/White Lung
3.9 - El Paso, TX at Lowbrow Palace w/White Lung
3.13 - SXSW Slumberland Showcase (evening)
3.21 - SLC, Utah at Richard Street Art Collective w/Burnt Ones & Blasted Canyons
3.22 - Boise, ID at Treefort Music Fest w/Burnt Ones & Blasted Canyons
3.30 - San Francisco, CA @ Brick & Mortar, Record Release Party w/The Mallard & Chasms
3.31 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo, Record Release Party at Part Time Punks w/The Mallard
4.20 - Chicago, IL at The Empty Bottle w/TV Ghost & Radar Eyes
4.22 - Columbus, OH at Ace of Cups w/TV Ghost
4.24 - St. Louis, MO at The Heavy Anchor w/TV Ghost
4.26 - Atlanta, GA at The Earl w/TV Ghost
4.27 - Durham, NC at The Pinhook w/TV Ghost
4.30 - Baltimore, MD at Metro Gallery w/TV Ghost
5.4 - Brooklyn, NYC at Shea Stadium w/TV Ghost

US Press:
*Anton Hochheim*
FORCE FIELD PR
anton@forcefieldpr.com
323-344-1602

Wax Idols - When It Happens

The first single off of our debut album "you light me up in the dark". We hope you like it. Tell your friends and your enemies 

Chelsea's Calling

Human Eye 4: Into Unknown
Release Date: May 7th, 2013

It's hard to believe that it's been close to ten years now that Human Eye have been churning the upchuck muck of the underground's last remaining unturned stones into a heady grind of alien bile and motor city lunacy, but it's really been that long and if you're somehow still not converted, you're probably not the adventurous type anyway. Timmy Vulgar and Johnny LZR have been honing their space punk madness from an inanimate blob of throbbing energy as evidenced on their earliest material, into the sophisticated slime that remains today, and whereas their primordial poundings left the "man-from-ape-with-synthesizer" theories thoroughly divided, their most recent material cuts through the dense complications and drives forward a cohesive, mind-splattering array of "what's next in punk," just as they have been doing since their planetary landing back in the mid 2000's. 

With their newest album, Human Eye 4: Into Unknown, the formidable Detroit decimators return with a pack of soft explosions and aural hallucinations destined to coalesce into a solid punch in the brain, cornering their sound into soaring anthemic shards of acid punk's forgotten tangents, melding bug-eyed prog squiggles with heavier-than-thou guitar fuzz, all ceremoniously glazed with Vulgar's inimitable streamlined skronk. Ink-soaked squid and jellyfish guts aside, Human Eye definitely know how to put on a show. But just as you could say that the theatrics are aimed at distracting you from their own guttural punk dimension, the other-worldly songs forged out of broken light bulb pieces and the slime from expired lunchmeat does wonders to the unaffected brain and causes tiny lesions that absorb all the filth and dementia uttered from Vulgar's tortured trachea, and reinforce the fact that Human Eye are undoubtedly one of the cornerstones of unique modern music. 

-- Todd Killings (Hozac Records / Victim of Time)

HUMAN EYE 4: INTO UNKNOWN available on Goner Records

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Human Eye  "Gettin' Mean" // '4: Into Unknown' Out Now On Goner Records

I did this remix for https://soundcloud.com/the-hounds-below

- dErek jOhn aka Live And Die In Detroit

Find the original here:
http://thehoundsbelow.bandcamp.com/track/for-you-and-i


Xx

The Hounds Below

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