Photo credit: Bella Keery
With echoes of the post-punk and European art-rock pioneers of the 80s re-imagined for the present day, London-based The Sick Man of Europe shares new single/ video "Transactional", which follows on from recent track "Obsolete". TSMOE will release debut self-titled album on June 20th via The Leaf Label.
On the new single, TSMOE said "The modern world is a multi-faceted, anxiety-inducing mess. The untethered advancement of technology replaces every interaction and we’ve become increasingly partisan as a result. Divided. Can a true human connection be made in the face of these incoming waves?”
"Transactional" on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kn24NgJDi0
Emerging from London’s underground music scene, The Sick Man Of Europe is distinctly monochrome in its outlook. Each note counts in this climate – economical but played with absolute precision and conviction. Propelled forward by machines and seeking solace in repetition. The same fears. Looking for answers or something to believe in, but finding more questions in an age of absolutes.
The Sick Man Of Europe demo tape arrived in a brown manila envelope accompanied by a short typewritten letter. Information was limited but what was clear, from the name, the imagery and typography, right through to the music - the project arrived almost fully formed. Minimal, but with a strong eye for the right detail.
On the eponymous debut album, that eye is focussed firmly on the battle between the internal and the external; the tensions between human identity, technological advancement and the pursuit of meaning in the modern world. “Where does the machine end and humanity begin?” TSMOE asks. “Can we transform ourselves in an increasingly impersonal world? Every day we feel the pressure to adapt and fit in, but that’s often at odds with our need for solitude and self-reflection. That’s where this record comes from.”
The Sick Man Of Europe name connects the current post-Brexit landscape to the austerity of Thatcherite Britain and the social conditions that shaped the likes of Bauhaus and Joy Division. These are touchstones for TSMOE, but the influence and discipline of Neu!, Suicide and Swans are just as intrinsic to the sound. Produced as a reaction to previous musical projects, TSMOE was looking for clarity and complete control in its creative endeavours. It’s consciously anti-rock in its recorded approach - no low-end bass guitar, minimal effects and no live drums. Dedication to the craft of focussed song writing rather than attempting to follow current production trends.
Lead single "Obsolete" was the first track produced under these self-imposed restrictions. “There’s nothing more human than the fear of the inevitable and we’re reminded of it everywhere we look,” TSMOE explains. “As the relentless pace of progress takes over, everything we’ve ever made is retired so quickly in the name of endless growth. At what point do we become obsolete?”
The term ‘the sick man Of Europe’ has been associated with many nations over the years, having first been coined by Tsar Nicholas I to describe the Ottoman Empire in 1833, and has been used more recently as a label for the UK, Greece and Germany. It means something different depending on when and where you grew up, and the music of TSMOE holds that same ambiguous power. The debut album is a timely release as cold war maps are re-drawn and geopolitical tensions ramp up. TSMOE is a global citizen of an increasingly fractured world.
The Sick Man Of Europe will be released on black vinyl and as a limited edition of 300 on ‘Sanguine Red’ vinyl for sale through indie shops and on Bandcamp. The album follows the release of the Moderate Air Quality EP on cassette in February, and the EP tracks are included on the CD version of the album.
The Sick Man Of Europe accompanied Snapped Ankles on their recent UK tour, and will be performing widely over the course of this year with more dates to be announced soon.
Tour dates:
Tues 8 July - The George Tavern, London UK
Sat 2 Aug - Multitude Fest, Milton Keynes, UK
Sat 26 Jul - Deershed Festival, North Yorkshire, UK
Sat 2 Aug - Multitude Fest, Milton Keynes, UK
Sat 30 Aug - Manchester Psych Fest, Manchester, UK
23-25 Oct - Left Of The Dial Festival, Rotterdam, NL
The Sick Man of Europe artwork:
The Sick Man of Europe tracklist:
1. Obsolete (YouTube)
2. Transactional (YouTube)
3. Sanguine
4. Profane Not Profound
5. Slow Down, Friend
6. Movement
7. Acidity Regulator
8. I'm Alive
9. Moderate Air Quality (CD bonus track)
10. The Son Of A Diplomat (CD bonus track)
11. Consumption (CD bonus track)
Quotes:
“Blends pulsating motorik beats, nagging basslines and droning electronics into all-consuming atmospheres. Fronted by foreboding vocals that sit somewhere between Ian Curtis’ melancholic baritone and something more experimental, phrases are repeated over and over like mantras, slowly building in intensity until the words take on entirely new meanings” - Electronic Sound
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