IRK have been popping up frequently in our In Shorts series this year, each time hinting at the crooked sense of humor and crushing rhythm that run through their second LP “The Seeing House,” out September 26th via Nefarious Industries. The Leeds trio – vocalist J.S. Gordon, bassist Ed Snell, and drummer Matthew Deamer – lean into noise rock excess, metallic percussion, and off-kilter storytelling to produce ten tracks that cut between the grotesque, the comical, and the strangely poignant.
Bassist Ed Snell described the new video for “Wedding, Berlin” as a continuation of their long collaboration with filmmaker John Figler: “It’s the third video he’s made for The Seeing House and was filmed in our studio in Leeds. We think he’s done a great job of matching the visuals to the jagged, hypnotic feel of the track.”
Drummer Matthew Deamer added that the song’s foundations were entirely percussive: “Ed’s bass part in this track is so damn rhythmic and clanky that it felt completely intuitive to cover the arrangement in layers of metallic percussion. We recorded all sorts of clattery rhythms played on giant sheets of metal, stacks of broken cymbals and even a metal beer keg that was happily sitting outside our studio.”
Across the record, the trio carry this same blend of humor and hostility. The band themselves break down each piece in deliberately skewed commentary, where everyday absurdities and surreal images stand shoulder to shoulder with heavier themes. One track is written from the point of view of a car going through a car wash, another imagines the same thing but from the perspective of a wasp. There are references to German toilets, deviled eggs, and Jipijapa hats. At the same time, songs like “Toothache in Prison” point directly at dismantling the prison-industrial complex, while “My Life in Bins” twists into a quietly powerful metaphor about impermanence and memory.
The band note that “Lifetime Achievement Award” revolves around the overlooked Wolverhampton Wanderers player Billy Beats never getting Time Person of the Year, while “Love is a Windsock” reframes sentimental clichés into a stripy carrot flapping on a pole. Elsewhere, “Abraxas Casino” grew from the thought experiment of what a Pandora sphinx moth caterpillar would sound like as a song. That blend of playful nonsense and subtle commentary defines the whole record, each track carrying its own warped logic but feeding into the same jagged sound world.
“The Seeing House” was recorded, mixed, and produced by Andrew Edwards and Matthew Deamer at Glide Studio in Leeds, mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, and completed with cover art by Kazland and design from Greg Meisenberg. Contributions include Jamie Chambers’ string arrangement and Jenn Chubb’s cello on “Lifetime Achievement Award,” Jack Evans’ guitar on “My Life in Bins,” and gang vocals from Stewart Ramsay, Kerry Ramsay, and Jenn Chubb on “The Great Wasp of Reluctance” and “Wedding, Berlin.”
IRK call themselves “Leeds’ normalest weirdos.”
Formed in 2013, they debuted with the EP “Bread And Honey,” followed by a split with Wren in 2015 and their first full-length “Recipes From The Bible” in 2018.
Touring across the UK and Europe, they’ve shared stages with Liturgy, Pissed Jeans, USA Nails, Part Chimp, and Frontierer, among others, steadily building a reputation for abrasive live sets.
“The Seeing House” releases digitally and in limited LP/CD runs on September 26th through Nefarious Industries. Below, the band deliver their own track-by-track commentary in full – a dive into the strange humor, imagery, and noise that shape the record.
Idiot Plot
A song written from the point of view of a car that’s going through a car wash. I suppose it’s like a shower, but for cars! What a funny thought.
Toothache in Prison
Having a toothache is bad. Being in prison is bad. Having toothache in prison is really very bad. Let’s dismantle the prison-industrial complex and fight the dehumanisation of prisoners, but do it in a way that’s a rockin’ good time.
Eating All of the Apple
Lots of people eat a lot of an apple, but not all of it. They leave the core, the seeds, the stalk, and throw it away. Anyway, this song is about German toilets that show you your own poo.
The Finer Things in Life
The title says it all, this song is a groovy celebration of all the good stuff! Deviled eggs! Jipijapa hats! The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA)! Bloodworms! You know what’s up!
Lifetime Achievement Award
This song was written about how crazy it is that we live in a world where legendary Wolverhampton Wanderers player Billy Beats never got Time Person of the Year, and how everyone is somehow totally fine with that. What is wrong with people!?
The Great Wasp of Reluctance
A song written from the point of view of a wasp that’s going through a car wash. I suppose it’s like a big rain storm, but for wasps! What a funny thought.
Abraxas Casino
With this one, we asked ourselves, what if a Pandora sphinx moth caterpillar was a song? What would it sound like? After thinking about that for a while, we wrote this banger instead.
My Life in Bins
This song is a quietly powerful metaphor for transience, the impermanence of identity, possessions, and even memory. It evokes the image of a life reduced to containers: portable, temporary, and easily moved or forgotten. Also it’s about a bin going through a car wash. WHAT A FUNNY THOUGHT!
Love is a Windsock
Some say love, it is a river that drowns the tender reed. Some say love, it is a razor that leaves your soul to bleed. Some say love, it is a hunger, an endless aching need. I say love, it is a windsock, like a stripy carrot flapping about on a pole that tells you some high-level information about what the wind is doing.
Wedding, Berlin
To close the album, we wanted a percussion led track. Something along the lines of, “duduh duh duh DUH, duduh duh duh DUH.” From there we just sang some lyrics from Lorde songs over the top and voila, instant hit. EASY.
