The Texas-based post-punk / electronic music trio, who prefer being described as a ‘heatwave’ act instead of a post-punk or coldwave act actually, are set to release their debut album “Hyper Hollow Heaven” today on March 26, 2022, via the independent label à La Carte Records. For those who wouldn’t know, Don’t Get Lemon was also featured on our recent “Post​-​Punk (Genesis)” compilation with the excellent track “Working Man’s Ballet”, their most recent single.

Don’t Get Lemon consists of vocalist Austin Curtis, synth/guitar/drum programmer Nick Ross and bass player / percussionist Bryan Walters. The new album which also includes the recent single “Working Man’s Ballet“, an ode to legendary English footballer Alan Hudson, is the follow up to the band’s pair of EPs, 2020’s “Forward Not Forgetting” and 2019’s “Grey Beach“, as well as the New Order tribute single with à La Carte labelmates “True Faith” that arrived earlier this year.

3 singles to follow

The LP is led by a string of singles to be released now and in 2022: Boxing Day’s kaleidoscopic “Industrial (Amusement) Park (Revolution)”; February’s glossy synth ballad “D.I.E.I.N.T.H.E.U.S.A.” and mid-March’s “Purple Hour Kingdom” featuring guest vocals from Renay of Monochrome Lover.

So, the recapitulate, here’s what is coming up:

• Single 1: “Industrial (Amusement) Park (Revolution)”, set for a December 26 release
• Single 2: “D.I.E.I.N.T.H.E.U.S.A.”, set for a February 08 2022 release
• Single 3: “Purple Hour Kingdom”, set for a March 15 2022 release

Here’s already the video for “Industrial (Amusement) Park (Revolution)”. The single is available here on Spotify and right here on Bandcamp.

“Change can only come through collective action”

The 8 tracks on the album echo the fear, panic, and anxiety “we’re forced to live with on a daily basis as our future grows inherently darker (…) to borrow a line from Adam Curtis’ 2016 BBC docu-film ‘HyperNormalisation’, regarding Patti Smith and how she experienced New York City in the ‘70s, the eight-song ‘Hyper Hollow Heaven’ is best experienced with a slight cool detachment.”

And they add: “Thinking about the reality (…) change can only come through collective action, which is tough to commit to because it’s a form of self-sacrifice, and goes against our own self-preservation. Which is ironically what we need to survive on this planet. Some of the images created can be dark and surreal but there is also tongue-in-cheek black comedy and humor to the absurdity of it all and that in a twisted way there’s a seduction in seeing the end. The lyrics are conscious of the futility of art in saving us. That’s not to say art isn’t a reason for living or isn’t beautiful, but it in and of itself cannot bring wide-spread change.”

LP, cassette… and VHS

The LP will be issued on vinyl, cassette, and VHS tape, mirroring Adam Curtis’ use of archival footage to help visualize the narrative.

The band explained us the choice for a VHS: “The VHS is the definitive ‘Hyper Hollow Heaven’ experience because we expand upon the lyrical content and provide visuals to reinforce the album’s motifs,” the band says. “Listening to albums can at times be passive, and you may detach yourself from the lyrics, but with an unrelenting visual you are forced to sit and digest what you are hearing and seeing.”

Back catalogue

These are the previous releases.

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Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Genre/Influences: Industrial, crossover.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: It all started as Dying Is Easy and moved on as Destruction Is Evolutionary (D.I.E.). This is an American collective ‘encompassing a variety of musical and philosophical influences with a goal of creating and releasing memorable and thought provoking auditory experiences’. Actually the project features five members and this album has been released nine years after Dying Is Easy. The songs were recorded in between 2009 and 2020.

Content: This album is a true sonic aggression for all lovers of ‘industrial’ music mixing guitars and electronics. Speed rhythms and samplings have been added to create a sonic mayhem. Some songs are pretty chaotic, but the common link between all cuts is for sure the merciless power from the production. The songs might appeal to lovers of KMFDM, Ministry and related bands. The last song is an instrumental piece, which sounds a bit ballad-like with a calm-down effect.

+ + + : You sometimes get the impression D.I.E. is a sonic locomotive riding at full speed and progressively losing all control. But quite progressively I became addicted to their aggressive compositions. “God’s Wrath” is one of these furious cuts and yet it also is one of the best. Another noticeable song is “Shatterer” for the right balance between guitar and electronics. I also like the spooky vocals in this song.

– – – : D.I.E. deals with a familiar and somewhat common sound formula. There’s no real originality while some passages are a bit too chaotic to my taste, but the global result is worthy of examination.

Conclusion: D.I.E. is a sonic colossus blowing everything away.

Best songs: “Shatterer – D.I.E. Version”, “God’s Wrath”, “Up Against The Wall”, “Organized Science”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.die–emc.com / www.facebook.com/DIE.EMC

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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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