FACS return with another album full of dark, dubby noise on May 21, when Trouble in Mind Records releases their fourth LP, Present Tense. The prolific trio from Chicago—this is their third album in three years, and fourth overall—make some of the most ominous rock going today, and they don’t try to lighten the mood on the new one. Case in point: the song “General Public,” whose video premieres at Paste today. It’s a brutal, methodical march through the post-punk muck, with bassist Alianna Kalaba and drummer Noah Leger building a steadily creeping foundation for Brian Case’s morass of vocals and guitars. You’ll hear a bit of The Birthday Party, maybe The Pop Group at their less funky, or perhaps that first Liars record. If feeling bad makes you feel good, you’ll dig it.
In his description of the song, Case pays tribute to another legendary ‘70s / ‘80s post-punk band: Gang of Four. “The song is about roles, perceived and assumed, and how we translate that with each other,” Case tells Paste. “This song fell out complete. Andy Gill had recently died and we were channeling Gang Of Four Solid Gold era, where it feels like everyone is playing a different song together.” There’s definitely some “What We All Want” or “He’d Send in the Army” in this song’s DNA—that confounding, tightly wound chaos where a song constantly seems to be drifting apart while chugging along in perfect time.
The video for “General Public” heightens its ominous atmosphere. Made with stock footage from the Prelinger Archives, the video presents what might be the most intense, sinister sex ed. class ever. It taps into that fear and confusion we all feel over the mystery of our own bodies, and is a perfect complement to the uncoiling dread of the song. Check out the video below, and keep an ear out for Present Tense when Trouble in Mind Records releases it on May 21.
