photos by John Figler
The Seeing House, the corrosive second album from UK experimental/noise rock trio, IRK, is now streaming in its entirety at Echoes And Dust, ahead of its release this Friday on Nefarious Industries.
IRK was formed in 2013, their driven sound the work of vocalist J.S. Gordon, bassist Ed Snell, and drummer Matthew Deamer. They released their debut EP, Bread And Honey, in 2014, followed by a split with London sludge outfit Wren in 2015, continuing to hone their craft with extensive touring throughout the UK and Europe, performing at festivals like Arctangent, Wrong Festival, and Strangeforms, and sharing the stage with Liturgy, Dope Body, Pissed Jeans, Blacklisters, USA Nails, Whores, Part Chimp, Frontierer, and many more. IRK’s debut album, Recipes From The Bible, was released in 2018, showcasing chaotic, snappy tracks contrasted against longer, more progressive songs, as well as the inclusion of guest vocals and saxophone, marking the shift the band needed to probe the stranger depths of the subgenres they sit within.
The Seeing House sees IRK taking their already rambunctious sound to even more explosive sonic territory. Ten tracks showcase the trio’s abrasive and rhythm-heavy sound, balancing the technical intensity of mathcore with the raw energy of noise rock to create a distinctive brand of angular, unpredictable music. Fans of Chat Pile, Prostitute, The Jesus Lizard, Cherubs, These Arms Are Snakes, KEN Mode, and even Meshuggah must hear IRK.
The Seeing House was recorded, mixed, and produced by Andrew Edwards and Matthew Deamer at Glide Studio in Leeds, UK, mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege in Portland, Oregon (The Armed, Locrian, Deadguy), and completed with cover art by Kazland, and design and layout by Greg Meisenberg. Additionally, the string arrangement on “Lifetime Achievement Award” was handled by Jamie Chambers with cello on the song performed by Jenn Chubb, guitar on “My Life In Bins” was provided by Jack Evans, and gang vocals on “The Great Wasp Of Reluctance” and “Wedding, Berlin” were delivered by Stewart Ramsay, Kerry Ramsay, and Jenn Chubb.
Alongside their early stream of the album, Echoes And Dust has published an interview with the band, which reads in part, “The Seeing House, the second album from Leeds experimental noise rock band IRK is a kaleidoscopic collision of sounds, and one that sees the band building on their debut Recipes From The Bible with brilliantly forward thinking and caustic results.”
Listen to IRK’s The Seeing House in its damaging entirety first via Echoes And Dust’s feature RIGHT HERE.
The Seeing House will be released digitally and in limited LP and CD runs this Friday, September 26th. Find preorders at Nefarious Industries where the videos for “Toothache In Prison,” “Idiot Plot,” and “Wedding, Berlin” are playing HERE.
“…nothing shy of a crushing rhythmic excess… IRK conjure a bizarre and bewildering world of noise-drenched hostility… The unstable vocal lines continue this sense of comfortability and tension sending you on a downward spiral through mounting sonic pressure.” – Everything Is Noise
“The Seeing House is what any experimental artist should aim for their creation to be; shocking, bizarre and endlessly creative. IRK have created something that is unmistakably them, whilst still seeing a progression in the ideas and sounds that could be found on their previous work. Whether you enjoy the work of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Meshuggah, or the Saw movies, you’ve come to the right place. Press play, and prepare to get spooked. 9/10” – Out Of Rage
https://irkband.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/irk_noise
https://www.facebook.com/irkband
https://www.youtube.com/@irk_noise
https://x.com/irk_noise
https://nefariousindustries.com
https://nefariousindustries.bandcamp.com
https://facebook.com/nefariousIndustries
https://instagram.com/nefarious_industries