Photo by Trevor Hall
Improvisational avant-rock trio ODD CIRCUS will release their Arch Nova EP on June 25th.
Compiled from free improvisations performed live from July 22nd to July 30th, 2020, Arch Nova follows the recent release of the band’s critically lauded Mantha EP and serves as the second installment of a planned EP series.
Forged in improvisation, ODD CIRCUS’ music explores the suspension of space and time navigating a boundary-less sonic landscape that embraces the unknown and welcomes the bizarre. The result is an experimental style of psychedelic art-rock that weaves its way into garage, fusion, krautrock, no wave, post-rock, noise, hard psych, and sci-fi prog.
“In these tracks we felt an element of danger and uneasiness, and that suspenseful vibe felt like it told a story,” notes the band of Arch Nova. “We imagine a post-apocalyptic world littered with man-eating mutants, as our main character navigates his way to humanity’s last refuge — Arch Nova. Along the way, a relentless killer and former military commander chases him for sport. We don’t want to spoil the ending, so as to whether he makes it, you’ll just have to listen and decide for yourselves.”
In advance of the release of Arch Nova, ODD CIRCUS today unveils a video for first single, “Maniac.”
“‘Maniac’ presents the theme of our protagonist’s deranged pursuer. We see the war that destroyed civilization and drove the commander into madness. His troops slaughtered, he now roams the post-apocalyptic world seeking revenge on any unworthy survivors.”
View ODD CIRCUS’ “Maniac” video at THIS LOCATION.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3v26wXaGTs]
Arch Nova was recorded by the band, mixed by Crews Carter and ODD CIRCUS, and mastered by Joseph Carra at Crystal Mastering in Melbourne, Australia with cover art by Ahmad Lutfi a.k.a. Pert Doherty.
Arch Nova will be released digitally via the band’s own Good Idea Music. For preorders, visit the ODD CIRCUS Bandcamp page at THIS LOCATION.
Arch Nova Track Listing:
1. Maniac
2. Wasteland
3. Hostiles
4. Arch Nova
After oprating underground for several years, ODD CIRCUS – saxophonist Graham Robertson, drummer Partin Whitaker, and bassist/sound engineer Crews Carter – debuted its first release Lunatic Children in 2019 and soon amassed a cult following on Instagram. The band re-entered the studio in July 2020 and kicked off the first of a series of releases from these sessions in April 2021 with Mantha—a bold six-track EP imagining aural visitations from supernatural creatures.
Mantha’s intrepid new sound received strong marks from critics. “It’s the kind of thing that fans of Zappa, Mike Patton, Cardiacs, The Residents, etc. are gonna eat up,” wrote BrooklynVegan, “and like all of those artists, ODD CIRCUS really earn the right to be as weird as possible. It’s not that the music isn’t self-indulgent, it’s just that they make self-indulgence sound really fucking awesome.” The Prog Space similarly lauded the EP’s, “bizarre sound [that] takes you to a quick extraterrestrial adventure,” and awarded a rating of 9/10.
“It’s the kind of thing that fans of Zappa, Mike Patton, Cardiacs, The Residents, etc. are gonna eat up, and like all of those artists, ODD CIRCUS really earn the right to be as weird as possible. It’s not that the music isn’t self-indulgent, it’s just that they make self-indulgence sound really fucking awesome.” – BrooklynVegan
“Free-form improvisation is the orifice through which the music expands into creation on the new album from ODD CIRCUS… Pushing aside predilections, the music on this EP will find its way into your psyche. It will be an altered state experience for the heavy music crowd, and we could all use that now and again. Recommended.” – Flying Fiddlesticks
“…sometimes jarring and loud. It’s brash and in-your-face. It’s not middle-of-the-road or easy listening. However, that’s what makes it stand out. The uniqueness of the different songs is intriguing… there is something for everyone on this fascinating EP.” – Distorted Sound
“…an intense and structured jam session that never lets up. It manages to be both spacious and full of notes, making it an enjoyable and rewarding experience.” – Avant Music News
“ODD CIRCUS transports your mind to places I highly doubt it has ever been before… one of the most interesting and unusual pieces of music I have ever heard…” – Cave Dweller Music
“…a fantastic listen, especially for people who struggle to find time for full-length albums but want to immerse themselves in another world! It really grabs your attention with its bizarre sound and takes you to a quick extraterrestrial adventure.” – The Prog Space
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