"'Rural Ecstasy' is the sound of our band rebooting after significant time off due to plague, childbirth, and any other number of calamities. The basis for the song was me challenging myself to start from a simple open C chord rather than my typical discordant leanings. Everything after that opening arpeggio is what came out of me over the course of an hour or so, and Ro and Squid as always elevated the concept I brought to the table. There are a few other odds and ends from that recording session that will hopefully see the light of day at some point, and there is a wealth of material earmarked for EL DRUGSTORE that is yet to be recorded. Our output will likely continue to be sporadic as we all acclimate to the challenges of being middle-aged fathers producing infuriatingly complex music, but 'Rural Ecstasy' is proof that we will keep bumming your ears out in new and inventive ways." - Kevin Conway / EL DRUGSTORE

"Although written during a pre-pandemic America, 'Intervention Undivine' is actually a song from the future. The detuned storyteller has slipped by the old gods, divine or not, and the ruinous traditions of the past have been expelled. The call goes out to the lagging timelines: expel the moribund deist. Incur new frequencies. From tomorrow a call to the present; is anyone listening?" - RISK RELAY

"While gangs and assassins resort to using blades and arson instead of firearms in Japan and other countries where guns are heavily banned, regulated, or otherwise unavailable, GRIDFAILURE adheres to this methodology out of sheer work ethic. In the US, where guns outweigh the entire population and it's too easy to spinelessly open fire on one's enemy with their back turned, GRIDFAILURE would rather track down, corner, and make eye contact with the adversary while exacting the rightfully earned revenge. Lines are blurred between work and pleasure as vengeance is achieved, as one sector of the lyrics describe: 'At a time such as this one cannot be particular, To the living ones I wish to make you perpendicular, Blades sharpened or dulled, I’ll employ them all, Whatever can be utilized to detach your appendicular.'" - David Brenner / GRIDFAILURE

"'Black Gate No.1' was written as a transition piece between Gematria II: The Spindle of Necessity and our next record which we are currently working on now. This piece started with a bassline that was written with my musical system based on I Ching divination. I then borrowed melodies and concepts used throughout our first two releases and mixed that with some heavier musical influences. 'Black Gate No. 1' encompasses all we’ve done so far as well as points to some directions that we’ll explore in the future." - Ray Suhy / GEMATRIA

"We recorded this track in 2006 during sessions for The Unquenchable Thirst. It was a bonus track we never released, so we had the original engineer Joe Johnston from Pus Cavern in Sac remix it in 2023. We were big Creedence Clearwater Revival fans and wanted to try 'Green River' with a punk rock twist. Hope you all like it!" - Jeff Salgado / PSYCHOSOMATIC

"'Purgative' embodies the cathartic nature of music, emphasizing its role in helping individuals cleanse themselves of life's burdens. The dark lyrics resonate with the band's signature raw energy and introspective themes." - Mike Scheid / ARBOGAST

"Stubbing your toe fucking sucks, almost as much as birthdays! So, equipped with inspiration, we wrote 'House of 1000 Corners.' It’s about a dude that stubs his toe in the middle of the night and then goes on a maniacal mission to rid his whole house of any and all corners. There’s just one problem, while cutting off one corner, our dude has actually made two! The lesson here is that sometimes when you try to eliminate problems from your life, you just end up with more problems. You’re better off accepting it and just being more careful next time. Try focusing on the positive aspects of your life instead of making more corners to kill yourself on." - Christopher Henry / FUCK YOUR BIRTHDAY

"'Kimota' is a track produced by Pete Grossmann and mixed by Sanford Parker during the sessions for our album Darker Than Death or Night. This song combines elements of grind, crossover thrash, sludge, and noise rock to form a volatile, dissonant whole. The title and lyrics are inspired by the 1980s comic series Miracleman, written by Alan Moore, which is a revisionist update of a particularly derivative, cheesy British superhero from the 50s. The lyrics recall a horrifying scene of mass destruction from Moore's story and also touch on some of what he has to say about topics like power, corruption, human potential, and belief." - Jason Kolkey / NEQUIENT

"Musically, 'The Slumber Party (Part I)' is a return to form for us. We eschew the complex and cerebral for piss and vinegar. The track is viciously forward, unrepentantly alive, unapologetically guttural. Lyrically, the song follows a gentle rhyme scheme delving into an inescapable feeling of being stuck. A record skips on the turntable. A feeling of guilt shrouds the room. Leave me alone.” - Nicholas Pentabona / BEDTIMEMAGIC

"This is the shortest song I’ve made as ZVI and features zero guitars, consider this me selling out!" - Ron Varod / ZVI

"'Diamond Maker' is a newly recomposed version of a DRX song which was written and demo recorded in 2009. One of the earlier compositions for the DRX, it was shelved in favor of the three songs which became the DRX's second release: The Deepening Hole. While many elements of the composition were updated or overhauled, and the harmonic instrumentation shifted from guitar to a lush soundscape of synths, the harmony and form are lifted from the original version, albeit with some refinement and rearrangement. The most significant difference from the original composition is the vocals—the melody and lyrics have been completely rewritten. 'Diamond Maker' is about misconception, and the importance of understanding what shapes us and realizing how it impacts ourselves and others." - Dan Romans / the DRX

"We are working on a noisy new record. Martin Bisi (Sonic Youth, Swans) is producing again. We have brought wind maven Matt Darriau back into the mix as well. 'Nose-Level Collision' is one of the experiments from these sessions. All instruments aimed at each other. Only goal is musical clash and crash. Deliberately allowed the opportunity to be ugly. We thought it would be right at home on NEF100!" - Ev Gold / CINEMA CINEMA

"Although the riff’s been in my back pocket for about a decade, the lyrics delve into our present situation with tech/social media and how attention itself has become a kind of commodity. We all have to get our screen time under control before it’s too late. Gotta stop falling asleep with a rectangular backlight burned on my eyelids. On a lighter note, 'Odd Zoom' features two incredible guest musicians! Failure is one of my all time favorite bands and I can’t believe I got Kellii Scott drumming on this. Plus there’s the immensely talented Gavin Cushman of Lavisher handling the bass, lead guitar, and backing vocals!" - Christopher Henry / HUMANS ETCETERA

"'Odd Zoom' is the perfect amount of imagination, forward momentum, and a clear and concise arrangement. It is unmistakably a fantastic song that will compel you to listen over and over because that is what fantastic songs do." - Kellii Scott / FAILURE

"I was thrilled when Chris asked me if I’d be into collaborating on a track with him, we’ve known each other for about ten years through various bands and have stayed long distance friends. Bass was the first instrument I learned and is still the most fun part of writing/tracking songs for me. When he said Kelli Scott from Failure would be providing drums I was even more stoked as I’m a longtime fan. It was a blast playing lead guitar and singing harmonies as well. Chris wrote us a seriously fun banger to play around with—enjoy!" - Gavin Cushman III / LAVISHER

"'Death Wind' was a remote collaboration during the height of the pandemic and an exercise in pure nihilism. We consider this a reprise of the post-apocalyptic track ‘After the Air Raid’ from our earliest release many years ago." - Johnny DeBlase / ZEVIOUS