When there are times when we would beg for another BOTCH, THE CHARIOT, GAZA or DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN record and it’s quite not possible because of obvious reasons, you need to know where to reach to get a proper dose of adrenaline. Amaury Sauvé‘s The Apiary Recording Studio in Laval, France (BIRDS IN ROW, NINE ELEVEN, AS WE DRAW, CALVAIIRE, PLEBEIAN GRANDSTAND, THE RODEO IDIOT ENGINE, DEATH ENGINE, …), and his fellow loud, abrasive, chaotic hardcore pack from Strasbourg called CONTWIG have been fine sources of emotions and unforgettble records for years, and we’re thrilled to bring you the newest creation from both parties, dubbed ‘Autobahn 8’, mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege Studio (FROM ASHES RISE, NAILS, SLEEP, HIGH ON FIRE, INTEGRITY, TRAGEDY, ALL PIGS MUST DIE, …) in Portland, USA, and available for your listening pleasure below, along with the full track-by-track commentary!
“Autobahn 8” by CONTWIG is out on May 4th (digital) and July 14th (physical). Pre-orders are up now at this location. The band will be supporting the record on a couple of live dates this Summer from July 18th to July 28th – here are some of the shows confirmed:
2018.05.11 : Strasbourg, FR – Punkroutine Fest
2018.07.17-27 : European Tour
2018.07.28 : Rokycany, CZ – Fluff Fest
2018.08.04 : Jena, DE – Baracke Fest
Artwork by Flo Chmod
1 – This is the Sadness of the Rich White Kids
Marius : This is the first track we wrote after « Freibad ». I think it’s a very representative track since it set the general direction of this LP : direct, heavy, intense. The second half on the track turns into kind of an atmospheric, post-rock part : there are several parts like that in the album and they came kind of naturally to us ; I think it’s a rich addition to our sound.
Geoff : Those are also the first lyrics I wrote for the album. They are the result of questions I asked myself about why I was doing music and the mismatch between what I used to sing about and my highly privileged place in society. I didn’t wanted to write about white boys problem or about issues I don’t personally experience anymore.
2 – Cowards (Dive Many Times Before Their Deaths)
Marius : A classic Contwig track, very live-oriented. Fast-paced, agressive, heavy breakdown at the end. Not much to say but it’s one of my favourite on the album.
Geoff : As a result of those thought, I started to write lyrics on lighter subjects, this one is about the Contwig public pool diving platform.
3 – 7:38
Marius : We have already released a music video for that song.
I think the bass/guitars balance on this particular track is great : the bass really drives the track forward. The overall bass track on the album honestly is insane ; Amaury, our sound guy for this album, did a great job on it. It’s basically an Orange bass terror on a 4×12 bass cab with a great bass preamp/overdrive called the Rusty Box.
If you listen carefully, you can hear an electro buzz synth at the end.Geoff : This is the most personal track of the album as it’s about my brother and about how I managed to cope with his loss.
4 – The Argus
Marius : Last track we wrote, shortly before going in the studio ; I find it almost relaxing after the first three tracks assault.
The final part of the track features vocals by Renz of the band Guisberg. Phenomenal band from our area, check them out if you like indie rock stuff. I really like the desperate howling over the almost “pop” riff. One of the best moment of the record if you ask me.
5 – Climbing Parnassus
Marius : That intro could have been a great set opener but we decided to play the whole album front to back live.
We butchered the end by cutting the master volume on random parts. Kind of inconfortable to listen to. That weird buggy part lead straight into the interlude « Ausfahrt 34 ».
6 – Ausfahrt 34
Marius : First interlude on the LP where Flo sings and play the piano. It’s about a beautiful place few people know about, even if it’s “one roundabout away, only a few miles away from them”.
7 – Souvenirs in B minor
Marius : Angry start onto the B-side on the vinyl record.
That part beginning when the right guitar plays alone is actually a 4/4 modification of Johann Sebastian Bach’s BWV 999, hence the « B minor ». That jungle drum beat that kicks in just after is played by Amaury, our sound engineer on the record who also happens to be a great drummer.
8 – Notes to Awaken Dreamers
Marius : Fast, direct 1 minute song. Love that last riff after the stop.
9 – Autobahn 8
Marius : A short shoegazing post rock interlude we wrote in the studio.
10 – The Heat
Marius : Pretty straight forward track. I really like the dual vocals around the 1’ mark, we might do that a lot more in the future.
Geoff : I wrote this song thinking about the hard anti cops stance we bring to the fore in the hardcore scene, despite not being the main victims of police violence. Even if there is absolutely no problem in hating cops, quite the opposite to be honest, I felt like it’s mostly a fashionable stance and that we’re stealing the struggle of the people really experiencing the police state brutality.
11 – Oh Please, Go Away
Marius : Epic album closer, especially the second half of the song : the same riff plays again and again for almost three minutes ; you can hear two additional floor tom, strings synth, and everything is blending together while Geoff is losing his shit over it.
