Is there a more exemplary label living out the Nü American Dream™ than Deathbomb Arc? The label grew up in Los Angeles, gave birth to a bunch of creative weirdos before turning 17, and somehow had a cat as a CEO. Pretty stellar life decisions that I wish I had made, but since I didn’t, I’ll have to live vicariously via the premiere of No Children, a free online compilation from the Deathbomb crew.
Released in conjunction with the label’s 17th birthday, this aural celebration features 10 previously unreleased tracks from Deathbomb stalwarts and some special company. Avant-rap trio True Neutral Crew joins Drew Daniels (a.k.a. the Soft Pink Truth) for the Mr. Bungle-meets-Death Grips “Squad Up,” while Cooling Prongs teams up with Kurt Harland Larson (frontman of 80s new-wave legends Information Society) for the even more schizophrenic “Acousmites.” Appropriately enough, hypersexual duo Captain Ahab plays the metaphorical stripper bursting out of the birthday cake, returning from three years of dormancy to drop “Little Hands” (you may recognize 1/2 of the band as Jonathan Snipes from .clipping, but this man has a past of half-naked live shows and appearing on the Snakes on a Plane soundtrack). Pretty good party favors, you guys.
Speaking of party favors, there are plenty of other gifts (that you have to pay for) to go around: the label’s put up several 17th-anniversary batches for order on their webstore, featuring three new cassettes as well as the first Deathbomb shirts that have been printed since 2002. Additionally, L.A. residents can join the actual birthday celebration on February 21, when BLKHRTS, True Neutral Crew, tik///tik, and Rale perform at The Smell. Tickets for that show are available here.
With all that being said, happy 17th, Deathbomb Arc. Let’s go see an R-rated movie together.
No Children tracklist:
01. BLKHRTS - “SATAN”
02. I.E. - “After the Club”
03. Captain Ahab - “Little Hands”
04. Shady Van Gogh - “Apostasy (Skate or Die)”
05. tik///tik - “Lisa Radio”
06. They Hate Change - “P6 (Catchin’ the Vibe)”
07. Cooling Prongs - “Acousmites (ft. Kurt Harland Larson)”
08. True Neutral Crew - “Squad Up (ft. The Soft Pink Truth)”
09. clipping. - “Body & Blood (BLKHRTS remix)”
10. Keebs - “Light”
• Deathbomb Arc: http://deathbombarc.com
