The C.I.A. (Denée & Ty Segall, Emmett Kelly) Announce New Album

Step into a sick rhythm. Surgery Channel is a constructed world where everything is piercing and pinpointed. Every word brings confrontation - The C.I.A. make you question what could be happening here...or what they're after. Denée Segall (vocals, lyrics) is both haunting and seducing us at once with her voice. Something unhinged might be about to happen and they're calmly dangling it over your head...

Sonically it's all about precision and aim. But really, it's a warning... amplified by the suspense of tick-tocking drum machine beats that resemble a hospital room. Ty Segall (bass, percussion, back up vocals) and Emmett Kelly (bass, synth, back up vocals) have painted a jarring and dissonant landscape behind Denée's story.

Surgery Channel's lead single "Impersonator" beckons a new groove, with call and response bass hooks that resemble a sequenced dance track and background vocals that invite a very steamy dynamic. "Impersonator" was revealed today alongside its warped video.

There is something about Surgery Channel that is sterile and covered in dirt at the same time. Maybe it's the feeling of simultaneous anger and defeat. Maybe it's what comes after. Or maybe it's about the ever-so-brief silent spaces between notes and words. Rhythm would be nothing without empty space. Words are rhythm at The C.I.A.

Ty and Emmett's basses could easily be swapped for bone drills and you might not be able to tell the difference. Emmett's modular synth envisions an environment reminiscent of the instrument itself, a mess of wires and pulsing red lights. Ty's subtle use of electronic and analog percussion fluctuates between the sound of a metal tray hitting the floor, and the swish of an ultrasound scan. At times, it projects the feeling of being probed and investigated. You could assume this reality has been lived by those at The C.I.A., though most listeners could only fear it. So... just how little of this portrayal is solely a work of imagination?

Both Surgery Channel and The C.I.A's first S/T record are ripe with straightforward conviction. However this most recent installment reveals a new side of their personality. Now The C.I.A. is communicating from an electrified, pulsating, metallic playpen that wants you to strut. Surgery Channel shows punks a new way to move while remaining loyal to the traditions of catharsis and social commentary.

This record is an astute observation and blunt critique. Both inward and outward. It is an exploration into how harshly intimate that process can be. Surgery Channel was written in 2021 and was recorded by Mike Kriebel at Segall's own Harmonizer Studios. The album sees its release January 20, 2022 via In The Red on vinyl and across all digital platforms.

Watch the new music video here: