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Los Angeles rap/hardcore pioneers DOWNSET will launch their first album in eight years, “Preserve”, on June 10 through Nuclear Blast. On its sixth LP, the band attracts inspiration from its early hardcore and hip-hop roots whereas reigniting its ardour for the streets and fury for the present societal and political injustices.
The official music video for the album’s first single, “The Place To Be”, will be seen beneath.
Guitarist Rogelio Lozano said concerning the new tune: “This was one of many first tracks written with the brand new members Bobby Ponte and Philip Gonzales. With Nick Jett (TERROR) engineering and co-producing, our first goal was to try to revisit the unique DOWNSET sound of the primary ever recorded demos. To try to recreate the tone, we first unwound our guitars and basses again to drop ‘C,’ after which created heavy rhythmic beats and riffs to facilitate a platform for Rey Oropeza‘s arduous rap flows.”
Lozano provides concerning the lyrical content material: “The lyrics to this tune mix a number of topics into one tune and on the finish all tying in collectively. Characterize your self with class, duty and braveness. Setting a superb instance for our youth is my interpretation of the message.”
Following the band’s latest signing with Nuclear Blast, DOWNSET reissued its controversial demos that helped ignite a avenue led motion world wide, “Anger/Ritual” seven-inch and “About Ta Blast” seven-inch, which had been initially launched 30 years in the past. Moreover, DOWNSET debuted a music video for the bonus demo observe “Breed The Killer” that options classic reside footage of them performing the tune.
The phrase “keep” is outlined as “a situation or state of affairs; to offer with the requirements for all times or existence.” To have the power to keep up is to have the ability to maintain quick to the unpredictable steadiness that’s life, and to discover a technique to prosper by means of probably the most fluctuating of circumstances. DOWNSET isn’t any stranger to this idea, happening to make use of life’s checks and balances because the inspiration for “Preserve”.
The members of DOWNSET have reawakened the fervour of old-school hardcore inside themselves, and have tapped again into the power that fueled them from the start: life, dying, love, hate, injustice… and the streets.
“From the start I’ve had considerations concerning the problematic nature of society,” explains Oropeza. “I replicate on the experiences of my life. There are ideas that must be challenged and thought of. Everybody goes to return to their very own conclusions on how they really feel about inequality, misogyny, political subjects, and so on. however all of these items have saved me critically centered on my activism through the years. My talents as a vocalist revolve rather a lot round what I am feeling, going by means of, or witnessing on the time; fairly sensible.”
“Throughout pre-production, ‘Preserve’ was the primary tune that we plucked out of the air,” says Lozano. “Going by means of arduous instances you have to cling in there, cling on, keep and maintain it down. Through the first wave of the pandemic, we had loads of worry. Everybody was getting sick, individuals had been dying like our supervisor Scott Koenig (RIP). It was wonderful that we had been capable of pull all of the work off that we did for this album by means of lockdown.”
With Lozano producing and dealing in a wide range of recording studios alongside the likes of profitable engineers and artists for a few years, it was solely pure for him to take the helm of the recording course of for “Preserve”.
“I used to be fortunate to have full duty for this album,” he says. “It was form of like a commencement; I used to be lastly capable of produce my very own album in an enormous studio. I used to be actually completely satisfied and assured and with the assistance of Nick Jett from TERROR we had the right mixture for DOWNSET and for the sound of this album. Jett made it very easy for us to undergo pre-production and the writing course of.”
“Preserve” observe itemizing:
01. Preserve
02. Blackest Of Days
03. New Respect
04. Will not Neglect
05. Wreck It
06. On Lock (Solely the Defest)
07. The Place To Be
08. Your Energy
09. Constructive Thoughts
10. Hear Me Now
11. Deeper
The album was mastered by Howie Weinberg in Los Angeles, California.
“We had fun and we’re actually proud of the best way this report turned out,” says Lozano. “I am proud of the tones, and with the maturity we present in our writing and recording this time round. No matter what sort of responses we get, we genuinely love the album, and that is what actually issues for us. Identical to Rey‘s lyrics to the ultimate tune on the album, prepared for it, I am prepared for it, carry it on.”
DOWNSET is:
Rey Oropeza – Vocals
Rogelio Lozano – Guitar
Phillip Gonzales – Bass
Bobby Blood – Drums
