New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Today, Omaha cyber-punk outfit The Faint announced their long-awaited new album Egowerk, set to release on March 15, 2019 on Saddle Creek. Made up of vocalist Todd Fink, drummer Clark Baechle, keyboardist Graham Ulicny, and guitarist and bassist Michael "Dapose" Dappen, the group that ignited an electro-pop-punk movement is back with an 11-track deep-dive into themes on modern society, the internet, and ego - specifically social media and its dark effects. The band also just launched their Pledge Campaign today, this includes the pre-order of the album, special merch items, signed CDs and vinyl, handwritten lyric sheets, signed memorabilia and more.
The announce via Pitchfork includes the video for lead single "Child Asleep." The electrifying album opener echoes well-loved Faint singles from the Danse Macabre days, with rapidfire techno beats that sear so hot, your forehead will break into a sweat regardless of proximity to a dance floor. And though the synths should sound familiar to any Faint follower, the song's monotone message is at once classic and current: "If I was wise, I would see I'm a child still asleep."
It's been four years since the Saddle Creek flagship act dropped a proper studio album, and more than two decades since they first tore onto the Midwest scene, alongside area staples Cursive and Bright Eyes, with anxious electro-pop-punk anthems that meshed doomsday themes with thudding dance-floor hooks. The group began to construct Egowerk shortly after releasing their 2016 career-spanning record, CAPSULE:1999-2016, with Baechle making frequent trips back to Omaha from his new home in Philadelphia to mix the record. The band made a unanimous decision to self-produce the entire record, making it unique and far more involved than any of their past work.
Vocalist, Todd Fink explains, "Egowerk's focus is on the current social state of the Internet: an amazing world of free knowledge, communication, and opportunity is proving to be a toxic battleground. One where the people most sure of their opinion are quick to take a stand and destroy anyone who doesn't agree with them." Despite The Faint's nihilistic musings on Egowerk, Fink and Baechle remain optimistic that things can improve if society is willing to absorb dueling perspectives. "The more you learn about any issue, any issue at all, the more you understand that it's more complicated than you think," Fink says. "I'd like to see people less convinced that they're right about everything all the time. I guess I think we'll figure it out as time goes on."
