Tuesday 27 August 2013

Gentlemen Callers - An Introduction to Metaphysics EP


Gentlemen Callers play a mixture of post-punk and hardcore punk. Their intention is anti-escapist, with their sound privileging anxiety over fun. The band formed in Grahamstown in early 2012 out of a sense of disappointment with what they considered to be a largely thoughtless national music scene.

Interested in the Shamanic potential of music, they combine paradoxically dense and primitive rhythms with lyrical concerns ranging from reincarnation and drug use to the rise of the sociopath in contemporary society. They like to describe themselves as neurotic astronauts stuck on an inhospitable world. They are in the process of releasing three EPs over a three month period. Their first EP, ‘An Introduction to Metaphysics’ is now available (with digital booklet) for free download. 

The three EPs were recorded on reel-to-reel tape in Grahamstown by friend of the band and producer Matt Sabine. The band decided to record all instruments simultaneously ('live') with appropriate overdubs in post-production. The decision to record in this fashion, as well the use of vintage equipment, came from a desire to experiment with non-digital techniques in order to capture an aesthetic at odds with much in the contemporary landscape.

Gentlemen Callers will stagger their EP trilogy over the next three months. The three EPs, four tracks on each, will each contain a selection of songs relating to their relevant title/concept.

An Introduction to Metaphysics
http://gentlemencallershc.bandcamp.com/album/an-introduction-to-metaphysics