Much in the way that we see a raft of babies arrive nine months after blackouts, snow days, and Valentine’s Day, every day we’re getting more and more music that was written and recorded as a direct reaction to the election of Donald J. Trump (the “J.” doesn’t stand for “Jay”).
Like many artists, Battleme’s Matt Drenik watched the election results roll in and, while reeling from the sense of vertigo, grabbed the only thing he could to stabilize himself: his guitar. His new album, Cult Psychotica, is the result, and today we’re premiering the album track “Hot Mess.”
“The storyline of ‘Hot Mess’ takes place in the wee hours of the morning after the Trump election,” he says via email. “Our hero realizes, in a moment of ultimate clarity, that the sham is real. Let the hot mess ensue.” Of course, like everything else in that moment, the clarity isn’t quite what it seems. In Drenik’s hands, the draining of meaning and morality from the world results in nothing less than a post-punk-powered dance party. It’s the same impulse that brought us The Rapture and Franz Ferdinand in the years after 9/11, newly revved up and goosed practically to oblivion and back. Give it a listen below.
Cult Psychotica is out October 6 via El Camino. You can preorder it here.
