Two of left-field music’s stalwarts, the Dylan Carlson-helmed drone outfit Earth and Kevin “The Bug” Martin, are about to release a collaborative album together. Concrete Desert will be out March 24 on Ninja Tune. The first snippet from the record, “Snakes Vs. Rats,” is also streaming now on SoundCloud and Spotify.
This will not be the first time the two projects have come together: the album follows a joint 12-inch from 2014, titled Boa / Cold. Even though they represent seemingly disparate musical worlds (guitar-centric and electronic, respectively), Earth and The Bug’s aesthetics have proved to work remarkably well together, united by “an interest in – really an obsession with – heaviness.”
Concrete Desert was recorded in Los Angeles and was partially inspired by “the Californian dream capital’s sordid, fragmented underbelly,” as well as the more picturesque imagery of the California deserts. According to the press release, it is a cinematic, highly visual affair, filled with “pulsing soundscapes, ambient pinks and whites, and irresistible grooves.”
You can pre-order the album here and listen to “Snakes Vs. Rats” below. Also, Carlson and Martin have plans to hit the road together in April, so stay in-tune for live dates.
Concrete Desert tracklisting:
01. City of Fallen Angels
02. Gasoline
03. Agoraphobia
04. Snakes Vs. Rats
05. Broke
06. American Dream
07. Don’t Walk These Streets
08. Other Side of the World
09. Hell A
10. Concrete Desert
11. Dog (ft. JK Flesh)
12. Pray (ft. JK Flesh)
13. Another Planet
