"Don't get me wrong. I don't have some weird chip on my shoulder about famous people. I won't pretend to be so urbane and sophisticated that I no longer have any use for people who are both great at what they do and well known for doing it," prefaces Brandon Phillips, mastermind behind the darkwave electronic Mensa Deathsquad when asked about the basis for his new single "Famous." His distaste for fame mongers and star worship is palpable... practically visceral. "That said, I loathe, detest and revile celebrity influencer culture so thoroughly that I believe it should be garroted to death at the earliest possible time and pushed into an unmarked grave," he continued with a smirk, gritting his tightly-clenched teeth.
Today, Mensa Deathsquad partnered with
Spill Magazine to deliver this passionate sentiment in the form of "Famous," the second single off his upcoming full-length album, Cyclist (out February 23, 2021). "Famous" follows the release of his first single "Nothing Is Ever Enough" earlier this year and expands the synth-laden sound, adding a monstrous energy to match the fury of the track's inspiration.
In an exclusive quote to Spill Magazine, Phillips dives deep into the ruminations, "In 2016, America elected its first 'social-media-influencer-in-chief'... Over the next four years, we saw an ecosystem form and flourish under Trump of smaller-but-no-less-dangerous social media influencers who enthusiastically amplified a feedback loop of malignant narcissism and staked their social capital fortunes on proximity to his. Trump may be de-platformed and out of the White House now, but we are nowhere near done dealing with the effects of this one obnoxious prick who got famous for being famous and leveraged that fame to sit in the most powerful chair in the free world - and at the risk of pointing out the obvious, there are a fing lot more where he came from."
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...
The music that emerged from Brandon's isolation and illness is a raw, nearly garage-rock take on darkwave and a perfect continuation of what he had begun on Patient Zero. Launching with the one-two punch of electro-punk noir in "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 heady package of nudge 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 punch, a cultural rummaging through pop culture, and a run through his ever-evolving intellect. 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.
Cyclist is out February 23, 2021 and "Famous" is available today. Brandon Phillips of Mensa Deathsquad is available for interviews.
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