Anyone familiar with Buffalo’s SCIENCE MAN knows they’re far more than your average hardcore punk band. Mastermind John Toohill’s brand of maniacal and eccentric hardcore has pushed the limits of the genre in both audio and visuals, as each of the last two LP’s have been released alongside full-length video projects that add to the overwhelming and surreal experience.
For their upcoming LP Monarch Joy, the band continues this trajectory, and today we’re stoked to present the first of three parts that include the first three tracks off of the album: “S.C.I.M.N.”, “Control Collar”, and “Ruthless Prism”. Check out the band’s commentary before diving in:
Directly fused to the SCIENCE MAN album of the same name, Monarch Joy is a 3 part short film depicting the journey and perilous transformations of a nameless protagonist. An eclectic blend of surreal images that pull from dark sci-fi, twisted fairy tales, and dystopian fantasy to culminate into its own form of modern avant-garde cinema. Using stop motion, elaborate papier-mâché masks, handmade costumes, green screen bastardizations, and the reckless spirit of DIY punk; the result is something akin to if Jodorowsky had made the Last Unicorn with Terry Gilliam on zero budget. The album is set for release Friday May 23rd on Swimming Faith Records with Parts 2 and 3 soon to follow.
And on “Monarch Joy”:
After brooding in the shadows of the Rust Belt and extensively touring for the last 5 years, SCIENCE MAN has mutated from John Toohill’s brainchild into a relentless, 10-armed, genre-bending monster. They set loose a blend of enigmatic hardcore punk that melts away the restraints, throwing you into their ever expanding distorted reality. Their latest, MONARCH JOY, is a chaotic, strange, and deceptively joyous blend of hardcore made for those who only wish to risk moving forward.
Monarch Joy will be available 5/23 Via Swimming Faith Records
