By Stan Cierlitsky
Who saw this coming? On Friday, August 29 Leicester band Prolapse is returning after a 26-year hiatus. The new album titled, I Wonder When They're Going to Destroy Your Face will be released on Tapete Records. I am really happy to review this, because I really enjoyed a lot of their music over the years. "Fob.com" and "Deanshanger" were two of my old faves which I still have on rotation today. And for those of you who know Prolapse, but haven't heard the new songs yet, I have good news for you: their sound hasn't changed very much. Which, to me, is a good thing. I love how their music was described in the press release. "Still pursuing their own path of repetition and twisted melodies, they merge influences from post punk to krautrock and even folk." Exactly!
Fun fact: Even though this is their first new music since reforming about 10 years ago, they have actually been together longer reformed than they were together back in the Nineties when they released their first four albums. So don't be surprised how tight their sound is on this new album. On their first single, "On the Quarter Days" that's perfectly clear. Singers Mick Derrick and Linda Steelyard have never sounded better. And the triple guitar assault from the band sounds perfectly crafted. Love the end improvisation of "Oh Shit! Bollocks!"
Second single "Cha Cha Cha 2000" is a favorite of mine. A short, tight three-minute song with somewhat subdued vocals mixed in with some typical Mick shouts. It's interesting to me that a band that obviously relies so much on repetition can make just enough changes to keep their music so interesting.
Another favorite is the opener, "The Fall of Cashline" where the barrage of sound is so well crafted. The hypnotic beat and repetition of Mick's vocals almost gives me a shoegaze vibe. "Ghost in the Chair" is a slower, dreamy kind of interlude. It really shows that even when they veer from their typical formula they can still be great.
Apparently some songs from the album had been evolving for years, but three were improvised and recorded on the spot. I'll bet anything that "Jackdaw" is one of those improvised songs. Just a lot of shouting and noise, but somehow even that is still compelling.
The last song I'd like to highlight is "Ectoplasm United" which has been described as a "messy but melodic maelstrom." It's also going to be remixed by Faust, and will be included as a separate seven-inch single to go along with vinyl copies of the new album.
People really should check this band out. So good, and so much fun to listen to.
I Wonder When They’re Going To Destroy Your Face by Prolapse is out now via Tapete.
[Photo: Geboren Wustman]