Exclusive premiere of ‘MIND’ by art-punk group Grim Streaker, out March 4th via Mothland.

Grim Streaker’s energetic strain of art-punk is the only constant for the restless Brooklyn & Vancouver quartet. In light of the pandemic, singer and lyricist Amelia Bushell moved to Vancouver, Canada, which channeled a new creative process for the now pan-american band—turning fragments of work written at their Bushwick, Brooklyn studio into living, breathing, virtual collaborations. This triggered a quick departure from their previous incarnation. Amelia’s performances became more vulnerable and more playful, yet still unsettling. Dan Peskin (guitars/electronics/synths) built a genre-bending brand of punk to match. Bassist Bill Dvorak and drummer Piyal Basu locked tightly into pulsating, danceable frameworks. The result is ‘MIND’; a surreal, subversive world of four songs that reflects on the current state of mental health, laughable social constructs and the inescapable working grind.

‘MIND’ is careening disco, seductive R&B, rhythmic onslaughts and pure fun with a punk edge, packed into 14 minutes. The EP, recorded alongside Johnny Schenke from the band P.E. at Diamond City Studios in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, is out March 4th, 2022 via Montreal-based label Mothland.

Word from the Directors: “‘MIND’ is a uniquely dynamic song. We knew the video had to match the song’s frenetic energy in the visuals and pacing, and we wanted to incorporate a narrative based on the themes presented. The visual textures felt right for the song, as they both breathe and feel organic in ways that complement each other so well. The edit matches the pacing of the song perfectly, reinforcing its turbulent nature.” – Directors Stephen Mondics & Devan Davies-Wood

Grim Streaker about the EP: “There has been a constant question of the why/how we create music as we’ve grown together over time. Influences from the punk, no wave and post-punk eras have always created a playground for us to build upon. Much of our latest songwriting draws from more diverse musical influences delving into the realms of dance, hip hop, funk and industrial. With ‘MIND’, each song exists in its own world, pulling sonically from new places with a punk point of view. The main theme for ‘MIND’ is mental health. Finding happiness and mental stability in a world full of socially constructed expectations. Being different and having one’s own unique views and preferences on society and its dwellers. Work and money, being a part of a machine.

Most of the EP was written in the pandemic on the internet or right before in NYC. It was recorded alongside Johnny Schenke from the band P.E. at Diamond City Studios in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

It was printed live off the floor wearing masks, with minimal overdubs. We got weird with instrumentation too, using a number of synths, drum machines and even household objects to build up the layers of each song.”

“The songs are a response to confusion and self-doubt in a society”

The world is really in a dire situation lately, are your songs a direct reply to our daily challenges and how it affects our mental health?

The songs are a response to confusion and self-doubt in a society that puts increasing value on optimal health, excessive wealth and an enviable social image. They reflect on the desperation to achieve greatness through these things, and question if they will bring the happiness and mental stability they promise.

Have you found the isolation creatively challenging or freeing?

It goes both ways. Amelia has been living in Vancouver since the pandemic began and there are times when she would prefer to be in a room with the band to hash out ideas in the moment, rather than deal with the drawn-out process of sending ideas back and forth over the internet. At the same time, however, the distance and time to reflect on our writing has allowed us to sit back and critique and revise songs with patience, which we feel has helped us create better music.

Tell us about how the EP came together?

When the pandemic hit, Amelia (vocals, lyrics) moved to Vancouver, which led us to re-think how we were going to approach writing. It forced us into a new creative songwriting process, where the rest of us would work on something in our Brooklyn practice space and then send demos to Amelia. Because Amelia wasn’t present anymore, we couldn’t just show her a half-finished song or a riff to start building vocals off of in the moment. We actually had to send her mostly completed ideas. This pushed us to take more time to really develop the songs, and also allowed her time to experiment with melodies and lyrics. The process was slower but ultimately more fruitful.

We also started to re-think what we were using to make music with. We started to get weird with instrumentation, using a variety of synths, drum machines, samples (fax machines, heartbeat monitors) and even household objects to layer the tracks. Once we were confident that we had enough new material to record, we went to Diamond City Studios and recorded everything with Johnny Schenke (Parquet Courts, The Drums, Snail Mail) in a few days (and very late nights).

What are some future plans?

We would love to tour Europe and beyond! We are currently working on the next record.

If you had to choose some of your favourite newly discovered artists, what would you pick?

Amelia: I have been listening to a Canadian band called Status/Non Status. Their music gives me a nostalgic blissful feeling that makes me feel like I’m existing ten years in the past. I’ve also been listening to Brooklyn’s Flossing and the new ‘Bambara’ EP.

Piyal: I’ve been listening to the band Famous from the UK a lot. Lyrically arresting songs that have a real visceral impact to them. Also been listening to Ausmuteants from Melbourne. They made a sardonic album from the POV of being a cop which is pretty biting and a lot of fun.

Bill: I’m all over the place lately. Taqbir (Moroccan punk), Mdou Moctar (Nigerian psych rock), Molchat Doma (Belarusian dark wave). When we were recording with Johnny Schenke, he played us this amazing and kind of ridiculous track ‘Doot Doot’ by Welsh new wave / synth pop band Freur. I think we all collectively love that one.

Dan: I’ve unfortunately been listening to an excessive amount of 90’s techno, not a ton of new music recently. However, a couple NYC based artists I’ve been into recently are Rare DM (dark wave, electronic) and Brutus VIII (no wave) – both put out some great music last year. Also, The Chisel’s (UK) new record is a killer evolution on UK 82′ punk. Highly recommend it.

Klemen Breznikar

Headline photo: Kevin Condon

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