Electroclash has come and gone and come again, but ADULT. appear to be forever. The duo of Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller have been cranking out abrasive industrial synth-punk assaults together for nearly three decades at this point, with their new album Kissing Luck Goodbye honoring the same EBM history explored on their 2003 debut. As can be expected, the general turmoil of the second Trump regime has only tossed fuel on their fire.
Yet it isn’t just Nitzer Ebb and Throbbing Gristle populating the duo’s vision board. As they share with us via the lengthy playlist they compiled in honor of the new album’s release, it’s a fairly wide variety of sounds that they’ve carried with them in their heads over the years as they chip away at new albums—from the epic rants of Michael Gira and Swans to the polished new wave of Adam and the Ants. They even go to bat for Suicide’s later overlooked work just as the Vega Vault project has begun dusting off some of the late minimalist synth-punk visionary’s catalog that wasn’t fully appreciated in its time.
With Kissing Luck Goodbye out today, both Kuperus and Miller shared with us a total of 23 tracks that have been rattling around their heads for some time now, surely influencing the sounds of their own project. Check out the full playlist below, and listen to the album here.
NICOLA KUPERUS
The Cramps, “Human Fly”
I love The Cramps. I once went to a record signing of theirs. I was so nervous. My heart was pounding so hard I thought I might explode. I sing this song every time a fly lands on me.
Swans, “Oxygen”
I love the whole Swans catalog, so it was pretty hard picking just one song. This one’s a jammer! A complete maniacal vocal performance by Micheal. A real fucking rant!
Chavela Vargas, “Paloma Negra”
Chavela was such a powerhouse. I love the back-and-forth of softness and bursts of anger. Raw pain in this song.
Suicide, “I Don’t Know”
We love Suicide, but neither one of us really cared for the album American Supreme when it was released in 2002. But over the years it’s become a fave. I love listening to this song when I walk!
The Screamers, “Vertigo”
I love The Screamers. I suffer from vertigo. I wish they had gone on to make more music. Jello Biafra cites them as a key influence and the L.A. Times called them “techno-punk” in ’78. We are often called that. We cover their song “122 Hours of Fear.”
Prince, “When Doves Cry”
This is my go-to karaoke jam! It’s disappointing when you’re in a store and it comes on because it’s usually the shortened version. The extended version is where it’s at. When he starts going into the “I’m gonna call it a ‘squawk’” toward the end—it’s so good!
Erase Errata, “Delivery”
Great song. Great band. Toured with them in 2007. I wish they were still together. Jenny and Ellie have a new project called Hey Jellie that’s awesome!
DAF, “Der Raeuber und der Prinz”
These guys are just legends. Love the creep factor in this song. Back in 1997, we were playing some of our first shows ever together and a guy we were touring with handed us this record and said, “You guys know DAF, right?” That day was our first introduction to them—minds exploded after that! Also, there’s a great Conny Plank documentary that shows lots of footage of them and talks about making some of their albums.
Malaria!, “Thrash Me”
Great arpeggio line with disjointed live instrumentation. The song seems off, out of time, and that’s why it is so excellent.
Kas Product, “Never Come Back”
This song rips! Great electronics and drum machines and vocals. Just a perfect track! And I see Kas Product is touring right now and have a new album out!
Throbbing Gristle, “Adrenalin”
Major influence. Like we both have been saying, bands that don’t fit nicely into a single genre are our thing. Invented the world of industrial [music] with their label Industrial Records in ’77, but also precursors to so much more. And the fact that the members fractured off into Psychic TV, Coil, and Chris & Cosey is astonishing!
ADAM LEE MILLER
Rudimentary Peni, “When You Are a Martian Church”
The bass player for this band (Grant Matthews) has been one of my main influences regarding my bass writing since I started playing in 1986. Clean, unique, and the propulsion of the songs. In many ways it’s very similar to an analog sequencer. Also, I just love the band’s unconventional structures.
Dead Kennedys, “Nazi Punks Fuck Off”
Unfortunately still important to scream this today.
Skinny Puppy, “T.F.W.O.”
Maybe the most listened to by me. I bought their first album in high school in the mid- to late-’80s. Like so many bands on our list, they’re a liminal band, somewhere between industrial, punk, synth, EBM, noise, etc.
Mad Mike, “Death Star”
1992 Detroit. Mad Mike. There is nothing more hardcore!
The B-52’s, “Mesopotamia”
We sing this one in the house a lot! I’d also like to mention that a lot of people write them off as total camp, but I think their songwriting is very diverse and amazing!
Einstürzende Neubauten, “Dead Friends (Around the Corner)”
In the top five best concerts I’ve ever seen! Like us, they are pigeon-holed into a crazy German industrial band, but they’re all over the place (in a good way). This song, along with “The Garden,” is so beautiful!
John Foxx, “Tidal Wave”
The album this is on, Metamatic, is the instruction manual for how I learned synthesis.
Nitzer Ebb, “Getting Closer”
The vocalist of this band, Douglas J McCarthy, was a dear friend of ours. We got the call that he had died while in the studio working our new album Kissing Luck Goodbye. He and his music will always mean the world to us! The man was a serious powerhouse on stage and the funniest human ever!
Adam and the Ants, “Prince Charming”
Basically four lines in the entire song and the last 45 seconds repeats one of those lines until the end. Strange structures. Went to #1 on the UK charts. Things used to be weirder.
Drexciya, “Vampire Island”
When we first started, a friend in Detroit asked if Drexciya was a major influence. We had not heard them at the time, and when we dug in we were blown away! Such raw Detroit early-electro energy, funk, and true punk!
Cabaret Voltaire, “I Want You”
Perfect example of my love for contrasts: computer music with funk, chaos on top of order.
Liaisons Dangerous, “El Macho y la Nena”
Beate Bartel was an early member (she was also in Malaria!, which we mentioned earlier). The analog sequencing and punk sound are so inspiring for us—and it’s from 1981! Mixed by Conny Plank, as well (also mentioned earlier). Also, fun to listen to now and note that Nicola laughs in I believe three or four songs on our new album.
