Watch // Listen
CINEMA CINEMA vocalist/guitarist Ev Gold and drummer Paul Claro invited polymath percussionist and multi-instrumentalist Thor Harris (Swans, Angels Of Light, Shearwater) to collaborate with them on their seventh LP Mjölnir.
Mjölnir was recorded at historic BC Studio in Brooklyn, New York, with legendary noise producer Martin Bisi (Sonic Youth, John Zorn, Boredoms). Inviting Harris into the fold inspires new direction for the ensemble. Exploring his creative repertoire, Thor makes use of BC’s synth collection along with an assortment of drums and arcane percussion pieces to leave his fingerprints on the proceedings. The trio submerge themselves in the strange beauty of chaotic sound, captured inside BC’s cavernous recording space.
Tracked just before the pandemic, Bisi spent time cultivating the sessions in the months that followed, helping shape one of the band’s most expressive records to date. This marking the third time that CINEMA CINEMA and Bisi have worked together (including 2014’s A Night at the Fights and 2017’s Man Bites Dog), the familiarity breeds wild results. The tracks were mastered by Fred Kevorkian at Kevorkian Mastering, and Mjölnir was finished with artwork by Lauren Kelley.
"Crackling lo-fi-esque guitars and steadily driving percussive pulse topped with half spoken half yelled vocals creates a picturesque and gripping mood that encapsulates the listener fully, acting as a taste of great things to come… ‘Walk Into The Ocean’ exemplifies that you really don’t need to cram the audible spectrum with all kinds of nonsense, but can rely practically only on dynamics and emotion to truly hit the target… Both musically and visually, ‘Walk Into The Ocean’ is simultaneously a gratifying yet grating experience, giving us a proper peek of what the entirety of Mjölnir will entail." - Everything Is Noise
"They blast out daring, frantic music that walks the line between hardcore slamming and jazz theatrics… The cousin-duo brings their berserk, two-piece attack, while Thor adds a primal percussion pandemonium to the track. At times it sprints, at others it shambles, and at all points, it is big and creepy and fresh." - PunkNews
"...the results—raw, heavy and inspired, recall the dangerous, in-your-face side of underground rock." - The Vinyl District
"Mjölnir shows that ambition is worth it. It is a fantastic body of work with its own unique twist […] and the experimental nature of the album showcases an ambient but fascinating sound that should be accessible to everyone." - Distorted Sound Magazine