"On May 1st...I thought that was IT...I was at PEACE with this being my last show. But little did I know...when I got into that room with the guys, everything changed. It wasn't just about saying goodbye; it was about being reborn with music. And, we had two rehearsals, and the show...and from the moment we started playing music together, I realised this was just the BEGINNING. How to disappear, and never be found? That's a great question...let's find out..." - NIKKI SMASH
The very first aspect that draws your attention when you experience "The Art Of Disconnect" is not the music itself, but rather the overwhelming presence of the crime scene surrounding it. This scene is as unyielding and raw as a live performance can possibly become. You find yourself confronted with a stage marked by bootleg stains, suggesting a chaotic past, with the lighting intentionally dimmed to levels reminiscent of those found in an interrogation room, creating a chilling atmosphere.
The band's name looms in the air like an unsettling admonishment, echoing the title of a missing persons alert for Madeline McCann: HOW TO DISAPPEAR AND NEVER BE FOUND. It's absolutely crucial to understand that this is beyond a mere confession; rather, it works as a highly powerful testimonial that counts.
Listening to this live album is like flipping through case files past midnight, every song another recorded interview, another blacked-out paragraph, another witness who claims to have seen but can't quite get it right.
It commences with a composition entitled "Enthusiasm And Fumes", which possesses an energy and presence that could almost be mistaken for an alibi—it's subdued, assured, and has an aura that seems almost rehearsed. The lines on guitar charge forward, reminiscent of suspect testimony that can't quite be trusted, while vocals envelop you in a way reminiscent of how a cloud of cigarette smoke suffuses a room when you have that uncomfortable sensation that the detective is openly lying through his teeth. By the point that the band runs through the song "Blueprint For A Breakdown", a malevolent chill has permeated.
Within the context of their creative world, the theme of disappearance manifests itself as both a profound tragedy and a grotesquely twisted form of artistic expression. And that's where The Art Of Disconnect's brilliant trick lies: it's not a concert that you listen to; rather, it plays out like a procedural thriller. You don't applaud between numbers in appreciation but painstakingly keep notes in the margins of your mind, circling particular words and phrases that could potentially have a deeper relationship.
With this novel event, the audience become the jury while the band become suspects. And then there are the songs, the evidence in this complex trial. Some numbers clearly have a guilty appearance while some could provide a reprieve; but both of these remain bathed in an insurmountable level of doubt and uncertainty.
By the closer “Deadhead”, you realise the title was never about stagecraft at all. It was a manifesto. To disappear and never be found isn’t just the band’s name, it’s their verdict.
If NIKKI SMASH hadn't been intercepted in the act of making his audio or video recording of his last crime, then he most likely would have gone completely out of sight and would have never been discovered or found again.
When the gavel finally came down, the number written on the record was 8.5 out of 10. Not justice. Not closure. Just a verdict that feels temporary, like any good mystery, one that's infuriating in all the right, terrible ways. Words: Matt Denny.
"The Art Of Disconnect" Is Available Digitally October 24th. Physical Pre-Orders Open Now.
The very first aspect that draws your attention when you experience "The Art Of Disconnect" is not the music itself, but rather the overwhelming presence of the crime scene surrounding it. This scene is as unyielding and raw as a live performance can possibly become. You find yourself confronted with a stage marked by bootleg stains, suggesting a chaotic past, with the lighting intentionally dimmed to levels reminiscent of those found in an interrogation room, creating a chilling atmosphere.
The band's name looms in the air like an unsettling admonishment, echoing the title of a missing persons alert for Madeline McCann: HOW TO DISAPPEAR AND NEVER BE FOUND. It's absolutely crucial to understand that this is beyond a mere confession; rather, it works as a highly powerful testimonial that counts.
Listening to this live album is like flipping through case files past midnight, every song another recorded interview, another blacked-out paragraph, another witness who claims to have seen but can't quite get it right.
It commences with a composition entitled "Enthusiasm And Fumes", which possesses an energy and presence that could almost be mistaken for an alibi—it's subdued, assured, and has an aura that seems almost rehearsed. The lines on guitar charge forward, reminiscent of suspect testimony that can't quite be trusted, while vocals envelop you in a way reminiscent of how a cloud of cigarette smoke suffuses a room when you have that uncomfortable sensation that the detective is openly lying through his teeth. By the point that the band runs through the song "Blueprint For A Breakdown", a malevolent chill has permeated.
Within the context of their creative world, the theme of disappearance manifests itself as both a profound tragedy and a grotesquely twisted form of artistic expression. And that's where The Art Of Disconnect's brilliant trick lies: it's not a concert that you listen to; rather, it plays out like a procedural thriller. You don't applaud between numbers in appreciation but painstakingly keep notes in the margins of your mind, circling particular words and phrases that could potentially have a deeper relationship.
With this novel event, the audience become the jury while the band become suspects. And then there are the songs, the evidence in this complex trial. Some numbers clearly have a guilty appearance while some could provide a reprieve; but both of these remain bathed in an insurmountable level of doubt and uncertainty.
By the closer “Deadhead”, you realise the title was never about stagecraft at all. It was a manifesto. To disappear and never be found isn’t just the band’s name, it’s their verdict.
If NIKKI SMASH hadn't been intercepted in the act of making his audio or video recording of his last crime, then he most likely would have gone completely out of sight and would have never been discovered or found again.
When the gavel finally came down, the number written on the record was 8.5 out of 10. Not justice. Not closure. Just a verdict that feels temporary, like any good mystery, one that's infuriating in all the right, terrible ways. Words: Matt Denny.
"The Art Of Disconnect" Is Available Digitally October 24th. Physical Pre-Orders Open Now.
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