Following the electro-punk noir single "Nothing Is Ever Enough" and the monstrous fury of "Famous," electronic darkwave band Mensa Deathsquad (Brandon Phillips) is releasing their new full-length record Cyclist today, February 23, 2021.
Dissecting everything from toxic relationships, to the destructive nature of fame and zooming all the way out to the cyclical nature of existence itself, Cyclist proves to be a truly heuristic record, born amongst isolation and Phillips' long standing medical battles.
During the release of his previous album, Patient Zero, Brandon Phillips laid in a Kansas City hospital as the album was released and was passed by in the outside world. Since his surgery a month prior had gone sideways and the time, energy, and planning for things like photos, videos and shows had been blown to smithereens, all he had left to look forward to beyond the IVs and the machines that go "ping" was a premiere and the street date. And then came COVID-19, like a rogue wave, to finish off the aimless Mensa Deathsquad sailboat.
But Brandon didn't die and the boat didn't sink. As the squall receded and the wanton eye of cruel gods passed over him, Brandon clung to the boat and swore revenge...A heady package of winks and nudges and intellectual ruminations (a trademark of Brandon's past as a smartpunk upstart in such seminal bands as The Gadjits and Architects), Cyclist carries both a powerful music force, a cultural rummaging through pop culture, and a run through his ever-evolving intellect.
Launching with the one-two punch of "Nothing Is Ever Enough" and "Therapist" before the pounding synth-rock of "The Disappointment Of The Christ," Brandon fixes his furious eyes upon the provocative hypocrisy and violence that results from American Christianity. A knowing wink to fans of the seminal vampire flick The Lost Boys, "Join Us, Michael" is at once a seething appraisal of a world scorched and defiled by an older generation and a musical love letter to that pivotal '80s vampire movie soundtrack. "Leap Year (Chaos Reigns)" which began as a Siouxsie & the Banshees-inspired jam serves as Cyclist's true north - the story of a drug-fueled wrinkle in time that brought the entire cyclical nature of existence into visibility one fateful night. "End Of The World" is dance-floor nihilist electro-rock blending angular post-punk guitar with the nostalgia of neon synths and electroclash drums, while "Takes One To Know One" slowly approaches the thunderstorm of toxic relationships, soulful vocals, tech house kick drums, and grimey-as-hell bass.
As a fitting conclusion to the tour de force through his psyche, Cyclist closes with yet another two-track charge: the swaggering post-electro sneer at celebrity social media, "Famous" followed by the throbbing Giorgio Moroder-via-Tech House cover of Iggy Pop's classic "The Passenger." "It was important to me that I cover 'The Passenger' as a letter of intent," says Brandon. "The electronic music that I daydream about, always has that Stooges layer of dirt and shop grease on it. That's what I wanted for Cyclist." The result is a triumph over the storm, as Mensa Deathsquad sails, unvanquished, into victory.
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