Widely regarded as one of the global alternative landscape’s most innovative acts, Static Dress’ have released their brand new video for “dull blade disguise” from their new album “Injury Episode”.
Surrounding an all- enveloping noirish alternate universe that ran through the narrative of their work, fans have closely followed the story at the heart of the Static Dress universe; traversing self-released comic books (and accompanying soundtracks), video games and their debut album Rouge Carpet Disaster – a watershed moment for contemporary emo music that has led to tours alongside the likes of Bring Me The Horizon and Underoath, as well as priority slots at festivals such as Outbreak Fest, Reading and Leeds, Furnace Fest, Download and more. Four years on from their debut capturing imaginations, Static Dress have released its highly anticipated follow up album, injury episode, via Sumerian Records.
injury episode charts the silent growing pains of the period since Static Dress’ debut was released using a continuation of Rouge Carpet Disaster’s lore as a surreal allegory for repressed trauma, loss, and what emerged as the reality behind a lifelong fantasy.
Sonically as well as thematically, this is the most “human” Static Dress have sounded.
The album is free from studio trickery and programming – hammering out complex emotions on record often in single takes to allow the intensity and exposed nerves of expression to truly shine through, as if the listener is in the room with them.
The album acts as a comment on the commodification of art; how algorithms and a “constantly- scrolling” culture has veered mainstream audiences away from challenging art towards instant gratification. To combat this, Static Dress present a collection of tracks that are visceral in nature yet undeniably infectious in their own right, eschewing typical song structure to force the listener to decode them for maximum impact. The album also marks the first full length project that features musical contributions from each of the band’s members; Olli Appleyard (vocals), Vin Weight (Guitar), George Holding (Bass), and Sam Ogden (Drums). That collaborative effort is palpable in the recordings, with injury episode marking the most diverse collection of music that that band has ever created.
Tracks like ‘questioning’ place the band’s ability to write a world-beating hook on full
display while retaining the venomous bite of their previous work, while ‘…hospice’ is the
first real example of Static Dress writing music that feels truly stadium-sized; a song to
sing at the sky alongside thousands of like-minded individuals. Previous tourmates and
friends Underoath join the band on the playfully named ‘Nostalgia Kills’; an explosive cut
of post-hardcore that acts as a true passing of the torch moment, finding the scene
legends re-engaging with a sound akin to 2006’s seminal Define The Great Line record
and trading barbed words with Appleyard at the song’s climax. The album’s centrepiece
comes in the form of ‘dull blade disguise’; a mid-tempo waltz taking aim at the soulless
theft of creativity around the band, punctuated by shards of distorted melody and an
uncompromising composition that leads to a genuinely show-stopping crescendo. For a
band who have come to be defined by their ambition, ‘dull blade disguise’ and injury
episode as a whole characterise that propensity to continue to push things forward in
the name of emotional catharsis while providing unconventional new anthems for a
generation of people looking to escape an increasingly less hospitable world.
Today also sees the release of the self-directed visual for ‘dull blade disguise’; a video
that takes elements of psychological and body horror to provide an allegory for the fame
machine. Mirroring the foreboding atmospheres of their recently released The
Magistrate’s Loop online game, ‘dull blade disguise’ ties up unanswered questions
within Static Dress’ recent visual output depicting a “mother”; forced to continue to birth
new otherworldly creatures for the amusement of the public. As this process continues
long after what is natural, the results lead to dire consequences. The video is a stark
comment on society’s need to build up and tear down innocent creatives at a rapidly
increasing rate, making stars of them before turning them into pariahs before they can
settle into the limelight.
With the release of injury episode, Static Dress deliver on their promise to continue to
innovate within the form of contemporary emo. A definitive advancement not just
sonically but lyrically, injury episode is characterised by unflinching and often brutal
honesty that blurs the lines between Static Dress’ storytelling within an alternate
universe and real life experience. In essence, injury episode is one of global alternative
music’s most mysterious and forward-thinking bands tearing down the veil and showing
the world that in an era of homogenised studio sleight of hand, the most subversive
thing you can do is present your truth in raw, unflinching and real fashion. There is, after
all, nothing more imaginative and complex than undiluted human emotion.
To celebrate the release of injury episode, Static Dress will perform at a special run of
three ‘Panic Room’ shows; a continuation of their fabled performances of the same
name early on in their career that played host to raucous, sweat-soaked shows in the
most intimate of settings. They will follow this with back-to-back shows as direct support
for Bring Me The Horizon in Manchester as they perform their debut album Count Your
Blessings in full. All shows are sold out. Tickets for the band’s US tour supporting
Motionless In White, as well as US headline shows and tickets for their newly
announced performance at 2000Trees festival are available now at
http://staticdress.com.
Static Dress Tour Dates:
July 8 – 2000Trees Festival – Cheltenham, UK
July 10 – B.E.C. Arena – Manchester *SOLD OUT* ⚠
July 11 – B.E.C. Arena – Manchester, UK *SOLD OUT* ⚠
July 14 – Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater – Bridgeport, CT ⍟
July 15 – Maggies – Lakewood, NJ
July 16 – BankNH Pavilion – Gilford, NH ⍟
July 18 – Jiffy Lube Live – Bristow, VA ⍟
July 21 – Truliant Amphitheater – Charlotte, NC ⍟
July 22 – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre – Alpharetta, GA ⍟
July 24 – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory – Irving, TX ⍟
July 25 – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion – Houston, TX ⍟
July 26 – Germania Insurance Amphitheater – Austin, TX ⍟
July 28 – Isleta Amphitheater – Albuquerque, NM ⍟
July 29 – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre – Phoenix, AZ ⍟
July 30 – Voodoo Room at HOB – San Diego, CA
July 31 – Kia Forum – Los Angeles, CA ⍟
August 1 – Toyota Amphitheatre – Wheatland, CA ⍟
August 4 – Theater of the Clouds – Portland, OR ⍟
August 5 – White River Amphitheatre – Auburn, WA ⍟
August 7 – Beddy’s Plaza at America First Field – Sandy, UT ⍟
August 9 – Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO ⍟
August 11 – Zoo Amphitheatre – Oklahoma City, OK ⍟
August 12 – Walmart AMP – Rogers, AR ⍟
August 13 – Off Broadway – St. Louis, MO
August 14 – Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park – Indianapolis, IN ⍟
August 15 – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre – Sterling Heights, MI ⍟
August 16 – The End – Nashville, TN
⨁ – Panic Room V4 show
⚠ – w/ Bring Me The Horizon
⍟ – w/ Motionless In White
