KEN mode has just dropped their newest single, “He Was a Good Man, He Was a Taxpayer.” This track is part of their upcoming album, VOID, scheduled to be released on September 22nd on Artoffact Records. The new track can be streamed on various platforms including Bandcamp, Apple Music, and Spotify.
KEN mode’s previous album, NULL, was launched in September last year. This record was influenced by the grim times during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and brought forth some of the band’s most raw and intense music. This album introduced the newest member of the band, multi-instrumentalist Kathryn Kerr, whose presence injected a unique No Wave and industrial-inspired tone into the band’s signature mix of hardcore metal and noise rock.
NULL earned KEN mode numerous accolades, including the front cover of Decibel Magazine. The music was described as “evocative, guttural, Howl-esque poetry laid over frantic, Godflesh-ian soundscapes.” Stereogum praised the album as showing KEN mode at their peak as composers.
Set to launch exactly one year after NULL, VOID is KEN mode’s ninth studio album. More than just a sequel to NULL, VOID is a continuation of the themes and inspiration derived from the same period.
While NULL represented the initial shock and chaos of the pandemic, VOID encapsulates the ensuing disappointment and sorrow. The new single “He Was a Good Man, He Was a Taxpayer,” explores these emotions deeply, with lyrics delivered over a simple 6/4 drumbeat and a spiraling bassline.
Reflecting on the new single, the band’s guitarist and vocalist, Jesse Matthewson said, “Perhaps a little more post-punk than people are used to hearing us, but we had fun playing with synth and pushing the boundaries of the emotionality of this track.”
KEN mode, formed in 1999 by the Matthewson brothers, has been characterized by the fierce commitment inherent in its name – an acronym for “Kill Everyone Now,” a phrase attributed to Henry Rollins to describe Black Flag’s performance style. Over the years, KEN mode has toured globally with bands like Russian Circles, Deafheaven, and Full of Hell, and has collaborated with renowned producers like Steve Albini and Kurt Ballou.
With the release of VOID, KEN mode is set to embark on a European tour, including performances with Fange and Lingua Ignota, followed by US tour dates with Baroness and a slot at the upcoming Decibel Metal & Beer Fest in Denver.
KEN Mode on tour:
Sep 24 – Porto, PT @ Amplifest
Sep 26 – Rouen, FR @ Le 106 w/Fange
Sep 27 – Lille, FR @ L’Aéronef w/Fange
Sep 28 – Paris, FR @ Point Ephémère w/Fange
Sep 29 – Angoulême, FR @ La Nef w/Fange
Sep 30 – Clermont-Ferrand, FR @ La Coopérative de Mai w/Fange
Oct 1 – Yverdon-Les-Bains, CH @ L’Amalgame
Oct 2 – Karlsruhe, DE @ Jubez w/Fange
Oct 3 – Dresden, DE @ Ostpol w/Fange
Oct 4 – Wroclaw, PL @ Klub Łącznik w/Fange
Oct 5 – Berlin, DE @ Urban Spree w/Fange
Oct 7 – Aalborg, DK @ 1000 Fryd w/Fange
Oct 8 – Aarhus, DK @ HeadQuarters w/Fange
Oct 10 – Liege, BE @ La Zone w/Fange
Oct 11 – Haarlem, NL @ Patronaat w/Fange
Oct 12 – Bruxelles, BE @ Le Botanique w/Fange
Oct 13 – Brighton, UK @ The Hope & Ruin
Oct 14 – London, UK @ Islington Assembly Hall w/Lingua Ignota
Oct 31 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre w/Baroness
Nov 3 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile w/Baroness
Nov 4 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre w/Baroness
Nov 6 – Edmonton, AB @ Union Hall w/Baroness
Nov 7 – Calgary, AB @ The Palace Theatre w/Baroness
Dec 1 – Denver, CO @ Decibel Metal & Beer Festival
