photo by Tom Shani
Brooklyn-based DETACH THE ISLANDS – embodied by current/former members of Juan Bond, Semaphore, For Sleeping Or Jumping, Fluoride, Husbandry, Organ Dealer, and more – presents a new EP, Concrete Jungle, ending one era for the band to begin a new chapter.
Dispatching a ravenous and twisted brew of sound somewhere to the left of mathcore, hardcore, powerviolence, and screamo, DETACH THE ISLANDS was spawned after the dissolution of math/prog-metal outfit, Autocatalytica, when drummer Emmett Ceglia decided to forge his own path in heavy music beginning with the band’s debut demo in 2016. This was followed up by single “Phantom In The Frame” (2018), and then their debut LP, The Burden To Become Fact (2019). After five years of relative silence, the band signed on with Tomb Tree Tapes to come roaring back with their second LP, A Highly Magnified History (2024).
Now, DETACH THE ISLANDS delivers Concrete Jungle, which encapsulates the final material with vocalist Ashley Levine who has since exited the band. New vocalist Scot Moriarty (ex-Organ Dealer), joins founding drummer/lyricist Emmett Ceglia (Fluoride, Semaphore, Husbandry), bassist Eric Messihi (ex-For Sleeping Or Jumping), and guitarists Jay Kohler (Juan Bond, Semaphore) and Siddhu Anandalingam (Juan Bond // Semaphore).
Concrete Jungle features a mix of new tracks, remixes, and covers of both Death Grips and Poison The Well. The cassette, set for release with Tomb Tree Tapes, features an exclusive interview and other flair. The tunes infuse discordant, technical, and emotive guitar work that often avoids genre norms with up front and filthy bass that glues the band together. Desperate, cathartic, and multidimensional vocals meet deadly precise, dizzying, and expressive drumming. Lyrical subjects range from religion, politics, existentialism, and living with Crohn’s Disease. The music’s moments of beauty and release keep the listener from being fatigued from the songs’ otherwise unrelenting discordance.
In support of the release, DETACH THE ISLANDS will be playing at Doom Fest in Madison, New Jersey on May 23rd, and with a release show and more in the works. Expect updated live dates shortly.
Concrete Jungle will be released by DETACH THE ISLANDS digitally and via Tomb Tree Tapes on May 1st. Stream the title track where digital preorders are live HERE. The cassette will be available HERE.
Concrete Jungle Track Listing:
1. Nerdy (Poison The Well cover)
2. Concrete Jungle
3. Time Stands Still When You Look At Me
4. Takyon (Death Yon) (Death Grips cover)
5. Culture Architects
6. Refugee Anatomy
DETACH THE ISLANDS Live:
5/23-24/2026 Doom Fest 2026 @ Madison Community Arts Center – Madison, NJ
Emmett Ceglia expands upon the material on Concrete Jungle:
“This album is a tapestry of where we’ve been and where we’re heading: covers we’ve only ever played live, new originals from the A Highly Magnified History sessions, instrumentals, remixes of tracks from The Burden to Become Fact – all of these are getting their just dues. This is the last seven years as a band – a sendoff to that era as we welcome the next one. These are our last recordings with Ashley Levine before he parted ways with the band, and they are some of his most ferocious. These songs also display the range of this group, showing both its proven strengths but also its dexterity and creativity to go beyond that.
“Each time Eric and I have been in the studio to record bass and drums, we’ve laid down a cover. We did ‘Takyon’ during The Burden To Become Fact, and ‘Nerdy’ during, A Highly Magnified History. Takyon was originally released in mono as a 7” lathe cut by Hello Heathen Records but has been sold out for a while, so this was the perfect chance to put it back in circulation in stereo as well as for the first time on streaming. On the other hand, we’ve been playing Nerdy on and off live for years, and PTW are a big inspiration for DTI’s sound. However, this recording had never been released, and we’ve been holding onto it and the title track, ‘Concrete Jungle,’ since 2020. In fact, that ‘Nerdy’ session was the genesis for Concrete Jungle which Eric and I recorded live in one take with the guitars then layered over top afterwards.
“‘Culture Architects’ and ‘Refugee Anatomy’ each get a fresh mix on this release as well. I mixed The Burden to Become Fact which while a solid showcase of the music, suffered from some inconsistencies, and I felt like these two songs could benefit the most from a facelift. Naturally I went back to Garret de Block (now at Soundwork International) to give these songs the proper treatment they deserve, and now they explode out of the speakers like never before. Fans of The Burden To Become Fact will be excited to hear these fresh takes. These are also the only two songs written in traditional DTI style: writing it all myself in MIDI, transcribing onto sheet music, and then translating that into the real world on real instruments. Everything else was constructed organically, often live for the rhythm section. A totally novel approach for us but one which pays off with fantastic energy.
“Last but not least, there is a special bonus for those who purchase a physical copy of the Concrete Jungle tape – a full interview with Dave Norman of Tomb Tree Tapes (and of Zegema Beach Records). Join Siddhu, Jay, and I as we sit down with Dave for an insightful and hilarious hour together. A fireside chat with the band after the music has faded is something I’ve always dreamed of having on a release, and now it’s here which is so, so exciting.
“If A Highly Magnified History was our full realization, then Concrete Jungle is our celebration of that – a salute to the old, to the new, and to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible for DTI‘s uncompromising sound.”
DETACH THE ISLANDS:
Scot Moriarty – vocals
Jay Kohler – guitar
Siddhu Anandalingam – guitar
Eric Messihi – bass
Emmett Ceglia – drums, lyrics
photo by Tal Pinto
https://detachtheislands.bandcamp.com
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https://www.youtube.com/@detachtheislands393
https://tombtreetapes.bandcamp.com
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