'Vivisect' - Knifing Around’s Most Mature, Dense, and Darkly Sinuous Work to Date
Punk Head: Industrial grit meets glimmering synths on Vivisect. What inspired this specific sonic palette for the album?
Owen Martin (singer/songwriter - band leader): A desire to express heaviness and weight in the atmosphere while still giving the listener something tangy and sticky to hold on to. More directly the songs Mr. Selfdestruct by Nine Inch Nails and Never Let Me Down Again by Depeche Mode.
Punk Head:Vivisect has been described as “darkly sinuous” yet relentlessly danceable. How do you balance heaviness with movement when writing and producing?
Owen Martin (singer/songwriter - band leader): Movement has always come naturally to me in my songwriting but adding an element of heavy was challenging. I was hesitant to allow heavy riffs to be too funky and nu-metal as well as overly complicated and busy. Ultimately finding a riff that strikes me as groovy while being authentically heavy was a process of trial and error. Our guitarist brought a lot to the feel of the licks and gave them room to breathe and be angular while fitting in the puzzle.
Punk Head: Humor is noted as an undercurrent in your work. How do you use wit or irony to navigate political, cultural, and personal crises in your music?
Owen Martin (singer/songwriter - band leader): You have to laugh to keep from crying. I find that sparkling a bit of humor in to my message invites people in. While I want to talk about dark and depressing stuff and don’t want to leave people feeling awful. I want the opportunity for cathartic transformation.
Punk Head: In terms of artistic growth, Vivisect is described as your “most mature” work yet. Looking back at your earlier releases, what was the turning point that led you to this darker, denser sound?
Owen Martin (singer/songwriter - band leader): I felt like I’d done what I needed to do with our sound. I saw more and more bands copying LCD Soundsystem and Gang of Four but without the wit, edge, and danger that those bands exemplify to me. A reaction against what I refer to as “talk rock”. Vocals that lack snark and personality and are too monotone. I see it as a fear of being earnest and or sucking. I wanted some of the sensibilities of hardcore/metal but still love a melody.
Punk Head: Your live shows are often described as a collision of spectacle and communion. Is that energy something you consciously try to capture on record, or is it a different beast entirely?
Owen Martin (singer/songwriter - band leader): I write music with the intention of playing it live and infecting an audience with energy. When I was younger I was so impressed by studio magic. Panda bear, “smile sessions”, “lonerism” were all big touch points in incorporating musique concrete. As I get older I’m more impressed by the live execution. The trick is to find a way to blend these studio elements into tangible live sounds. A lot of the synths we trigger as samples and the gel of a live band brings a more vibrant energy in to all the tracks.
