Asbest, a Basel, Switzerland originated group specializing in noise rock, shoegaze and post-punk, is set to unveil their highly anticipated album entitled “Cyanide” on May 19th, 2023, courtesy of A Tree In A Field Records / Czar Of Crickets Productions. The album will be accessible through various platforms including LP and digital format, providing listeners with a variety of options to experience the band’s latest artistic offerings, one of which we’re premiering today, right here, in the form of their intriguing new single “Cyanide For Breakfast”.
“In CYANIDE FOR BREAKFAST we tried to explore the connection between the requirements of a pathological society and mental health.” – comments the band.
“We feel that an increasing amount of people need to ingest a cocktail of psychotropic drugs to survive everyday life. While we advocate people getting the help they need we feel that this development is treating the symptoms rather than the cause. An while we do not want to encourage suicide in any way we believe that fatalistically accepting the harmful status quo is also a way of giving up and denying yourself a life that is worth living.”
Asbest is a noise rock band from Basel, Switzerland that burst onto the scene in 2018 with their debut album “Driven”. The album was well-received internationally and praised for its unique blend of rawness and experimental shoegaze elements. The band’s sophomore album, “Cyanide”, is set to be released on May 19th, 2023, and will be available on LP and digital formats.
Asbest’s music is connected to the LGBTQIA+ movement, and they use “Cyanide” to explore the pressures of modern society and question whether it’s possible to live a truly happy existence within a diseased reality. The album’s existentialist lyrics, inspired by the Frankfurt school, are delivered in simple words and slogans by the band’s guitarist and vocalist, Robyn Trachsel. Their music and message aim to be a wake-up call and present a new perspective on entrenched opinions and ideas.
Asbest’s goal is to effect small changes in the world by presenting their perspectives through music, touching their listeners and making them think. The band also sees themselves as role models for people who identify as female, lesbian, intersex, nonbinary, or trans*.
“Cyanide” stays true to Asbest’s mix of post-punk, shoegaze, and noise rock and was recorded with a delicate touch by Ralv Milberg (Die Nerven, Human Abfall) at Milberg Studios in Stuttgart. The album offers a safe space for listeners to reflect and scream along to the heavy music.
“Cyanide For Breakfast” Lyrics:
Who is that robot
In my mirror
When did I become
The bills I pay
Subjugation
for a monthly wage
we were turned into machines
Rendered all-dependant
A healthy meal
Consists of pills
Our value is defined
By our labour
Narcissism
A way of life
Optimize
Your self away
We don’t lead the lives we need
We lead the lives we must
Forced to be productive
Until we turn to dust
We deviate from our true selves
Pathologically infectious
It seems there’s no escape
But Cyanide for breakfast
– Cyanide for breakfast –
We should have pulled the brakes In time
– Cyanide for breakfast –
We sawed off the branch we’ve climbed
– Cyanide for breakfast –
Didn’t we have all we’d ever need?
– Cyanide for breakfast –
Expectations to defeat
– Cyanide for breakfast –
To an evil machine we’re cuffed
– Cyanide for breakfast –
We should stop eating when we’re stuffed
– Cyanide for breakfast –
