Psy-Punks FEDERATION, comprising singer Ben Lost, guitarist Dave Veraven & producer Richard Mowatt, disappeared at the tail end of 2014, signing off with the cryptic ‘BE THERE’ video, which many believe signalled the end of the project. Seven years later however the trio are back & drop their debut long player F, with the trio forging a unique sound that draws on 80’s goth, spider-web post punk, and thumping late 90’s Trance.
SYNTHETIC FIELDS opens the LP, one of 3 cinematic instrumentals bridging the albums head, abdomen, and thorax, before an extended cut of JUST LIKE YOU, the song that relaunched the project in 2020, delivers the first of F’s uppercut thumps. Latest single LEATHER HEART finds the band at their crossover heaviest, with LOST’s leaky heart ventricle inspiring visions of blood-red tsunamis, soundtracked by MOTH’s scuzz metal guitars, and MOWATT’S jaw-wobbling synth pads. LEAVE THE WAR BEHIND introduces a deeper sound to the band’s armoury, with a Billie Jean groove, a choral Chameleons guitar riff, and televangelical harmonies. NEW RELIGION is a red magic attack on warmonger authoritarianism, with VENUS airlifting us out of the gory fields of chemical warfare and into the black fulcrum of infinite cosmos, by way of a Shot by Both Sides bassline and a stadium chorus.
The 9th Configuration-inspired JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN’T REMEMBER, DOESN’T MEAN YOU DIDN’T DREAM LAST NIGHT, finds FEDERATION in power-groove industrial mode, with the mechanical noise of pistons and chains eventually giving way to one of F’s most transcendent moments. ASK AN EYE invokes Blakean visions of Mel & Kim, in a particularly playful portion, before a tweaked BE THERE produces the whip for the final furlong. BUILT ON SAND, the third of three ambient scores, sits penultimate, with the Hi-Energy BORN TO BE LOVED coming on like Morrissey fronting A Flock of Seagulls at The Berlin Love Parade.
As a congealed populace sinks into new vistas of digital reality, F explores the desire to both exalt and transcend the analogue flesh, with alchemical themes of death, sex, rot and rebirth, found in each branch of F’s cosmic nervous system.
‘F’ is released via FEED THE MOTH on June 21st, 2022 (distribution by Black Hole Recordings). A few weeks later the deluxe limited-edition version will be dropped via the Digital Collectibles platform RCRDSHP on including extra tracks, album commentary, artwork & visuals plus rare rewards and fan experiences.
‘F’ track-list:
01. **SYNTHETIC FIELDS
02. JUST LIKE YOU
03. LEATHER HEART
04. LEAVE THE WAR BEHIND
05. NEW RELIGION
06. **OTHER SIDE
07. VENUS
08. JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN’T REMEMBER, DOESN’T MEAN YOU DIDN’T DREAM LAST NIGHT
09. ASK AN EYE
10. BE THERE
11. **BUILT ON SAND
12. BORN TO BE LOVED
