Brisbane’s pop-punk upstarts Two Times Shy are soaring lofty heights as they let loose their …
On the off chance your New Year’s resolution involved listening to music at volumes below ‘natural disaster’, we’ve got some bad news: alt-tronica supergroup The Black Queen are back, and they demand full control of your eardrums.
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The experimental overlords—comprised of Greg Puciato (ex-Dillinger Escape Plan), Josh Eustis (Telefon Tel Aviv) and Steven Alexander Ryan (technician for Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle)—are set to release their second album, Infinite Games, on Friday, September 28th.
In addition to ten intense new tracks, Infinite Games will mark the debut release on Federal Prisoner, a newly formed creative entity between members of The Black Queen and esteemed artist Jesse Draxler (who, FYI, created the artwork for both Infinite Games and its predecessor, Fever Daydream). Though details on their future plans are held under lock and key, a press release notes that fans can expect plenty of movement from the collective in the near future.
“Federal Prisoner won’t function like a typical label,” says Puciato. “It’s an expression of passion and individualism in a way that opens more doors for us to create and to own what we create with minimal compromise. It’s as much an act of refusal as it is a statement of intent.
“We won’t be working within the current industry blueprint of premieres, ‘instant grat tracks’ or any of that nonsense. We’re concentrating on the music, videography and packaging, an aural and visual experience. It’s exciting to create our own path.”
Infinite Games comes at a vital time in the trio’s career, following Puciato’s bus accident in Poland and the demise of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Eustis’ return to Telefon Tel Aviv, and a robbery of the trio’s storage space. The new record was born of their rebuilding from these incidents—particularly, the opportunity they took to form their own studio and lay ideas down with no fear of having them impeded on by other commitments.
“This time, we learned how to do everything ourselves,” says Puciato, ruminating on the dissonance between Infinite Games and the band’s debut, Fever Daydream. “There’s less uncertainty and more confidence. I’m speaking both about the artistic and business aspect of creating and releasing an album.
“As for what’s changed with Infinite Games, I think it feels more conceptual as an album. It’s less a collection of songs and more about the front to back listen. Probably because it wasn’t compiled over a four-year span of time like the last one. This one is actually hookier, but more insidious; it’s a more delicate record.”
The Black Queen are also set to make their live debut on Australian shores come January, with two intimate hoedowns locked in at Sydney’s Lansdowne Hotel and the Northcote Social Club in Melbourne. Tickets for the Melbourne show sold out in a matter of hours, mind you, so we’d advise our mates in Sydney to get a move on if they want to witness this chaos in the flesh.
Infinite Games is out Friday, September 28th via Federal Prisoner.
Pre-orders are available now from their webstore, or you can snag a digital copy from iTunes, Google Play or Spotify.
The Black Queen are also set to tour Australia in January 2019 with Drab Majesty.
Friday January 18th – Lansdowne Hotel, Sydney
Saturday January 19th – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne (SOLD OUT)
Tickets available from carbonsunset.oztix.com.au
