Modern Error: Synthetic Euphoria
Modern problems require modern solutions; in order to properly dissect the adversaries of contemporary society, we need a fresh sound to do so. MODERN ERROR have taken on this challenge on their upcoming debut, Victim Of A Modern Age – and the sound that they have crafted is otherworldly. Freeing themselves from the shackles of their post-hardcore roots, the Pinchin brothers have unearthed a penchant for awe-inspiring soundscapes and visceral synth breakdowns. We sat down with vocalist Zak Pinchin and delved into the world of MODERN ERROR, discussing the band’s debut, the crafting of a sonic world and the meeting point of symbiotic musical minds.
The Pinchin brothers seems to be the full package – with Zak coming from a visual world and Kel coming from an audio world, the pair are an unstoppable creative duo. “MODERN ERROR is a meeting point – an audio and visual duality rather than just music,” Zak tells us. “We start with a concept, and we try to motivate the music around what we’re trying to say. Kind of like how a film is put together – so, I’d come in with a concept, Kel would construct something and then we’d kind of have this back and forth until it’s complete.”
And how has this cinematic constructive process impacted the album? Well, it’s resulted in a grand narrative thread running through the album, of course. “The record focuses on a protagonist who essentially falls victim to the ways of a modern world, and then finds himself in a new world reflecting on his place in existence. Essentially the whole arc of the concept is becoming what you’re meant to be.” The concept is markedly wider reaching than MODERN ERROR’s previous EP, Lost In The Noise; “Our EP was a lot more inwardly focused – a lot more internal emotional stuff – but I wanted to say more,” Zak explains. “I wanted to look at the human condition rather than looking at myself.”
With more ambitious concepts, comes a far more ambitious sound. “To me and Kel it was meant to feel otherworldly, I’ve always liked the idea of playing with nature versus synthetics, so it was kind of like, let’s shift from a natural world that we know, and then just shift into something that’s a lot more vast and unknown.” The ‘unknown’ even meant abandoning the sound they had previously forged for themselves; “We definitely started in this post-hardcore mindset, and I think we were just like ‘is this really what we want to be?’” Zak admits. “I think we just wanted more. We needed more.”
As soon as you pop on a single from the upcoming debut, this desire for ‘more’ is tangible. There is a sense of resisting genre limitation throughout; pivoting between elements of post-hardcore, industrial metal and synth-wave seamlessly. Victim Of A Modern Age is teeming with gorgeously expansive soundscapes, every track a new world to lose yourself within. While Zak remains humble about the work put into the album, every so often a new layer is pulled back; from the eureka moment of the album’s motif when Kel wrote [I] Human Error, to the “seven, eight, TEN choruses” that were cycled through before Error Of The World was complete, it slowly becomes clear that this album has some real depth to it.
Victim Of A Modern Age is endlessly rewarding on re-listens, and Zak insists that the debut is designed with full, front-to-back commitment in mind – if not, then you’re not going to get the full experience. “This is definitely one of those ones where you have to listen in full to actually understand why Error Of The World is on the same album as It’s Just A Feeling, you need to hear it shift.”
So, what tracks in particular will delight listeners? Zak immediately says The Truest Blue, explaining that “it’s one of the first songs we actually wrote for the album because we were excited about this shift and where the shift would go! It captures that feeling of entering the new world, the feeling of becoming complete.” But he takes a moment to name-drop another track: “New Age Vibrance is also a big one for me. I’ve always wanted to make less a ‘conventionally structured’ piece, something that’s a bit more textural.”
In terms of impact, Zak hopes that the album will have a few heavy hitters – moments that really get the listener feeling. From the “dull ache” captured on Curtain Calls in Oeuvre [I], to the “primitive side” explored throughout Oeuvre [II], there’s a plethora of feelings to indulge upon.
Visually, Zak has grand plans. “I want to make the visual world as expansive as possible!” The videos released thus far have only enriched the Victim Of A Modern Age universe, and any further releases are sure to continue expanding the world. The aesthetic thus far has aimed to capture a sense of “futuristic minimalism”, in Zak’s words, a “blue abyss, a vast space of nothing” to hint at the emotional and moral destitution of the modern age.
As we discuss the final layers of effort put into the album, Zak takes a moment to pause. “You know what they say – It’s punishing until it’s liberating.” And that’s exactly what MODERN ERROR have managed to capture on their debut; a journey through punishing introspection eventually emerging into liberating bursts of euphoria. Victim Of A Modern Age is an experience, and one that you won’t be forgetting any time soon.
Victim Of A Modern Age is out now via Rude Records.
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