Perfectal Bum

Following recent releases on Subsubtropics and Rush Hour Holland, Design A Wave digs deep into the archives for Perfectal Bum, his new release for Bezirk.

Perfectal Bum is a pop record, but one which gleefully messes with the form; zooming in, zooming out, deconstructing and reconstructing to engineer something uniquely surreal. It engages with conflict and resolution, experimental synthesis alongside deceptively catchy melodies. The tracks range from eccentric sound experimentation in the vain of The Residents or Snakefinger to Italo disco, surreal spoken word to B-movie influenced synth pop. Alternate versions of songs from Live On Your Yard (Alter Records 2011) are included - original solo takes rather than full band interpretations.

The tracks that make up Perfectal Bum were recorded in 2007. This isn't some thrown together compilation of old demos and rarities though, but a carefully crafted album. Both sides are intricately sequenced, each track flowing into the next, pushing the album format to the extreme.

Tom Hirst, aka Design A Wave, explains: "Perfectal Bum was always intended to be an expression of something but what that was always changing. Every song needed to somehow mix into the other but also encapsulate its own little world. The track order is also pretty much the chronological order that the songs were recorded in."

"I've never really thought "I'm going to make playful music" but that does seem to be what happens. I think it comes down to valuing the way that musical forms and gestures play with your perception. I think this sensibility stems from really getting into music in the 90s when things like IDM and post-rock were happening - really enjoying the way a novel rhythm/harmony/melody can confuse your brain - I guess that's psychedelic?"