This past November, Copenhagen hardcore outfit EYES announced its sophomore album ‘Congratulations’ for a February 3rd 2023 release through Indisciplinarian. With the announcement, the album’s first single and title track ‘Congratulations!’ was released alongside a music video in the unmistakable EYES manner. Today, the band spews out the album’s second single ‘Generation L’ accompanied by another soul wrecking music video, once again done by the band’s visual wizard Jon Gotlev, who also created the new album artwork.
Lead singer Victor Kaas states on ‘Generation L’: “You should be grateful you’re even here, Should be thankful you weren’t born there. Cut your expenses you’ll be debt free by the end the century.
My generation and the generation after mine have been called “the loser generation”. We “start our life” later than previous generations. If we ever even start. Our opportunities are more numerous than ever, but our chances at “succeeding” in life are significantly smaller. We’ll owe larger sums of money and jobs are harder to come by, even though we’re generally better educated. And you better be grateful you have it so well!”
EYES has announced three shows for 2023 so far: At Eurosonic in the Netherlands on January 19th, a release show at Loppen, Christiania in Copenhagen on Feb 3rd and a performance at this year’s Bloodstock Festival in the UK between August 10th-13th. More shows will be announced this month.
19.01.23 – Eurosonic, Groningen (NL)
03.02.23 – Loppen, Copenhagen (DK) Release show
10-13.08.23 – Bloodstock Festival (UK)
EYES’s two preceding releases, the self titled 2018 debut EP and the 2020 debut album ‘Underperformer’, proved EYES as a band on its own path, with both heart and brains to match it. With its genre defying musical approach and introspective generational lyrics, ‘Underperformer’ marked an innovative freshness in the hardcore scene. Despite obstacles from a pandemic, the band left an indelible impression with performances on festivals such as Copenhell (DK) and by:Larm (NO), while the remix release ‘Reperformer’ contributed to the band’s air of unpredictability.
EYES’ new album is entitled ‘Congratulations’, even though there isn’t much to cheer about at the moment. The album is a further development of EYES’ sound and style with the band focusing even more than before on melody, off kilter hooks and deep grooves throughout the album’s ten songs collectively shaping an unpredictable, rough rocking and catchy hardcore record produced razor sharply by Jacob Bredahl (LLNN, Lifesick a.o.).
Distrust among people and conspiracy theories, war and environmental catastrophe on the horizon, economic downfall and increasing inequality. The Western world anno. 2023 is the foundation of ‘Congratulations’ and its volatile, confrontational songs. Opposite the internalized thematics of ‘Underperformer’, the doubting self reflection has now turned into anger and a feeling of powerlessness towards a world, where the rich get richer and living conditions are worsened for everyone else. A world, where the younger generations are abandoned again and again. A world, where the only available distraction is to scream into an infinite digital void or to find an alternative reality while looking down on the so-called sheep following the flock and false prophets.
‘Congratulations’ will be released on LP, CD. MC and digital formats, with the CD version as a co-release with label comrades Nefarious Industries in the US.
All physical formats including the vinyl editions are expected to be ready for the release day and are now available for pre-orders at Indisciplinarian’s webshop, while the CD version can also be pre-ordered at Nefarious Industries . Finally, the digital version of the album can be pre-saved and pre-ordered.
