Post-modern? Most likely. Sarcastic, energetic, manic, catchy, and fun? Most definitely. Written and recorded in the post-social networking malaise, Asylums’ debut album ‘Killer Brain Waves’ is the sound of discontent right now.
From the very first demo to this very album, the band have done it all on their own fiercely DIY terms. And right now, doing everything their own way has meant that current single ‘Necessary Appliances’, is being championed by BBC Radio 1, 6Music, and Radio X, and a whole bunch of gigs beckons over Summer, including slots at Bestival and other prestigious festivals.
Asylums have created a snapshot of a band and country in a state of change. They may have killer pop hooks, but there’s no bubblegum here – songs about the death of high street retail, austerity, and rampant consumerism, sit cheek by jowl next to tales of sex, outsider culture, and gender equality. With a social media blackout for the first three singles, ‘Killer Brain Waves’ is the culmination of a two year slow burn – all this in the time that has seen other bands get themselves signed and disappear off the face of the Earth. A new song every three months, each with a new DIY video on a new theme, on their own Cool Thing Records label run out of a spare bedroom in Southend-on-Sea. And it’s not just for Asylums – this album has secured Cool Thing a distribution deal with Brighton’s
Republic Of Music, meaning that they can now give other bands a platform.
Some of the songs you’ll know. After all, five of the tracks on Killer Brain Waves went straight onto Radio 1, and the band have been playing the length and breadth of Britain supporting the likes of The Vaseline’s, Killing Joke, Ash and Nothing But Thieves.
Dates
21st October – Chinnery’s, Southend
22nd October – Eagle Inn, Salford
23rd October – Cellar Bar, Oxford
25th October – Exchange, Bristol
26th October – Hope & Ruin, Brighton
27th October – Cookie Jar, Leicester
28th October – Rainbow, Birmingham
29th October – West End Centre, Aldershot
Online
Website – www.asylumsband.com
Twitter – www.twitter.com/asylumsband
Facebook – www.facebook.com/asylumsuk
