Noise-punk trio Girls In Synthesis to headline The Black Prince

Girls In Synthesis will kick off their UK tour at The Black Prince next week, the day before the release of their eagerly anticipated new album.

The experimental post-punk trio are returning to Northampton on Thursday, October 13, having previously headlined The Lab last year.

New LP The Rest Is Distraction will be the follow up to 2020’s incendiary debut Now Here’s An Echo From Your Future.

Formed in 2016, Girls In Synthesis comprise of bassist and singer John Linger, guitarist and keyboard player Jim Cubitt and drummer Nicole Pinto.

The trio’s double A-sided debut single The Mound/ Disappear was released in the early part of 2017 and have established themselves as one of the most forward thinking, viscerally challenging bands around with unmissable live shows that continue to excite and astound in equal measure.

Recorded last year amidst the uncertainty of continuous lockdowns as a result of the global Covid-19 pandemic, The Rest Is Distraction has been described as far darker in content than its predecessor.

Talking about the album, Linger said: “I’m glad lockdown gave us the time to start this album properly, it means that we’ve come out of the mist with an exciting, fresh album that represents where we are right now.

“It felt like we were harnessing darker moments in our personal lives and putting it into the music.”

Mainly exploring internal and mental struggles as opposed to external current affairs, it focuses on the claustrophobia of emotional anguish and continues to bravely delve into previously unventured topics.

It features frequent collaborators funkcutter and Stanley Bad on horns and violin, respectively, two songs also see Eleni Poulou, ex-The Fall, on keyboards.

The album was mixed by long-term collaborator Max Walker, mastered by Ayumu Matsuo and features artwork by Bea Dewhurst.

Cubitt said: “The experimentation and production has really ramped up on this record, which shows a real indication of where we are heading next.

“We’re already ahead of ourselves, writing-wise. After this, the listener will have some catching up to do.”

Described as sonically atramentous and less one dimensional than their 2020 debut album, The Rest Is Distraction takes its cues from Join Hands era Siouxsie & The Banshees, Brainiac and Crass’ Christ The Album, among others.

From the first crackle of electricity on the opening track, to a heart wrenching taped voice-recording on the final outro, the album promises to retain every ounce of intensity and vitality that has made Girls In Synthesis among the most captivating bands to emerge from the UK DIY underground in recent years.

Singles Watch With Mother and My Husband from the 11-track record have given fans an insight into the tone of the new record.

The former is based around flashback memories of the narrator interpreting a dark parental relationship and the way in which family dynamics have shaped their outlook, set to circular chords which sound like being dragged into the maelstrom.

My Husband, which deals with a physically violent relationship between husband and wife, is an internal dialogue from the victim’s perspective, projecting the fear and mental anguish in such situations.

The stripped-down musical arrangement, resembling bleak four-to-the-floor disco noir, creates suitable, palpable anxiety and tension.

Linger said: “The first album was all about capturing the energy of the live shows, whereas writing and recording this one felt like some form of cathartic release.

“There’s more space in some of the tracks, we’ve learned that stripping stuff out of the music creates the right type of atmosphere for the songs. It’s even more intense than just blasting noise.”

The Rest Is Distraction is released on Friday, October 14 via the band’s label Own It/Cargo Records.

Support at The Black Prince is by The Boss Knots and Utopia Development Corporation.

Doors open at 7pm. Tickets cost £9 in advance before fees via: https://www.wegottickets.com/event/550123