It’s been five years since Alan Vega‘s passing, yet that doesn’t mean we won’t be hearing any new material from the late Suicide co-founder. The protopunk icon’s prolificacy resulted in what is now known as the Vega Vault, containing tons of unreleased material. The first archival release is coming this April: Mutator comes from tapes that were rediscovered in 2019 by creative allies Jared Artaud and Liz Lamere. They mixed and produced the resulting eight tracks, and “Nike Soldier” is the first single from the project.
“The moment Liz and I discovered the original ADAT tapes of Mutator, we knew we had found something special and felt strongly that it needed to be shared out in the world. Mutator bridges the gap between the past and present,” Artaud said in a press release. “It’s something we feel he would have been really proud of, seeing this lost album released today. In so many ways, his music is needed now more than ever.”
“Nike Soldier” comes with a video directed by Jacqueline Castel with Kris Esfandiari (who fronts King Woman, Miserable, and NGHTCRWLR, among other projects), who “mutates into punk iconoclast Alan Vega in a karaoke toe-to-toe, set against a reliquary of Vega’s light sculptures and totems from his personal wardrobe, including his famed Champion gloves and beret.”
Experience “Nike Soldier” below and pre-order Mutator here.
