#bleak technique

DEPARTMENT M Announce 'Bleak Technique' 7” Single

Released 7th August via Hide & Seek Records

“A welcome reintroduction to an underrated songwriter” – NME "Artfully produced synth-pop...taps into the dark heart of post-industrial England" - Clash Magazine “The sound of Owen Brinley revitalised with crystal clear vision” – Drowned in Sound “Pleasingly offbeat swathes of sound” – Loud and Quiet “A bold evolution” – London In Stereo

Leeds’ Department M are pleased to announce they will release new single ‘Bleak Technique’ as a limited edition 7” vinyl on 7th August via independent label Hide & Seek Records - the track premiered with Clash Magazine yesterday.

The second track to be taken from their forthcoming debut album, the record was produced by James Kenosha (Rhodes) at The Lodge in Bridlington. Their trademark brooding, alluring blend of post-punk and gloom-laden synth pop is given a melodic shot in the arm on the new single with a heavy bass line groove and a snake-hipped lead guitar line, featuring sultry guest vocals from Snow Fox (Vessels).

Formerly the solo project of front man Owen Brinley, the project has now grown into a full live band in an effort to capture the intricacies of their recent spree of releases including 'The Second Prize' on Too Pure Singles Club and a debut mini-album on Fierce Panda and Rallye Japan in the past two years.

Brinley explains of the inspiration behind the new single single; “'Bleak Technique' is steeped in a kind of 21st century paranoia I'm noticing so many people around me starting to feel. With the onslaught of social media and technology tracking our every move, our lives don't feel particularly private anymore and that can be a difficult feeling to shake. The song is an expression of wanting to immunise yourself from the perceived threats of a post-internet world...'I'm only phantom, I'm only neutral'.”

The early collaboration between Owen and long-term producer, James Kenosha, has now evolved from a collection of harsh, sharp and sometimes cold electronic pop songs to a world of newfound warmth, pop sensibility and musicality. Swathes of blissed-out analogue synthesizer and soulful, haunted voices levitate above a base of vital live drumming, courtesy of drummer Tommy Davidson (Pulled Apart By Horses) who lent a fresh pair of hands to the writing and recording process this time around. It’s a fresh sound; one that is both grandiose, yet full of space and room for reflection. The addition of Snowfox's vocals hint towards a 90s dancefloor feel, a dizzy high counterpoint to Brinley's warmer tones.

With performances at Beacons Festival and Live at Leeds under their belts, plus support from NME, Drowned In Sound, Loud and Quiet and more already, all eyes are swivelled for a glimpse of what might come next from Department M on their eagerly awaited debut LP.

‘Bleak Technique’ is released on 7” vinyl 7th August via Hide & Seek Records

UK Live Dates TBC

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