A dark, grooving odyssey in post-Brexit Britain
I've been listening to 'The air in Utopia is poison' several times, often skipping the first track because it freaks me out. Have you ever considered doing a soundtrack to an unsettling horror movie?
Leg Puppy: Ah, brilliant! That's always been my modus operandi, to make the listener feel something. I'd love to write a soundtrack to a horror movie. This is a quote from another mag, which definitely fits that narrative. 'The Air in Utopia is Poison' is a dark, grooving odyssey revealing an unnerving reflection of post-Brexit Britain. Never mind Black Mirror, this is more 'Bleak Mirror'."
That's a quote for you to grab for your electronic press kit, for sure. Your lead single's video got over 20,000 views. What would you say are the ingredients to its success?
Leg Puppy: I wish I knew the ingredients; 20k views is not a success. It just means I knew how to market that particular video, and the fact it's as funny as fuck meant a lot of people shared it. Success would be supporting the Sleaford Mods on tour. But more importantly, being respected for your art.
There's also the merit that it's your most popular video to date and by some margin. So, there's a large percentage of self-improvement there in some respects. Did you employ any new equipment in the album (this is one for the tech geeks)?
Leg Puppy: I've used my rather lovely Korg Monologue for the last two albums. The basslines sound incredible! I also collect weird samples and sound effects. Think early Depeche Mode and The Art of Noise. These can sometimes trigger inspiration. Hence the title of the album is a speech from an old punk movie.
Nice. Tell us how the title steered the vibe of the album. What discoveries did you make?
Leg Puppy: Despite containing a lot of humour, it's a very dark album with some very hard-hitting themes. That aside, I wanted to take the piss out of the music industry, where mediocrity and safeness wins. I have learnt this over time. Track two, 'Sync Deal - Your track has not been selected' - is a dig at those syncing and publishing companies who send out a standard message translating no thanks. The lyrics are from that message.
An admirable aspect of what you do is commentate upon how online media music platforms work, often in a Kafkaesque way. Tell us more about this approach.
Leg Puppy: OK, I'm not going to lie, I had to Google that name. But I guess I would like to think I take the David Lynch approach to make music with a hint of Caspa Noe through it. Track five on the album is 'Algorithms You're an Arsehole' along with 'Your Profile is Dope' & 'Sync Deal'. I think every musician can relate to those particular tracks on the album.
What plans - if any - have you made for live dates?
Leg Puppy: Playing a show at George Tavern on Sept 14 & Dubin Castle 30th with Pink Eye Club & Go Chi Minh. Obviously, supporting Sleaford Mods on their up and coming tour. Just waiting for the phone call to confirm. But we are supporting Sheep on Drugs and rave legend Gary Glail in October.
The big news out of all that - obviously - is the killing of your clown persona. How does Simon feel about being retired?
Leg Puppy: Simon has a new persona. He's still our main dudebuster. It's just our Ziggy moment.
In closing, what was the most rewarding track to write off the album?
Leg Puppy: I absolutely love 'Your Profile is Dope', production-wise it sounds a lot like 'NDA', which is my masterpiece. I also adore 'Algorithms You're an Arsehole' I have just written new lyrics for the live version. It goes a little something like this:
I see your soul is burning
Your heart is filled with fire
Empty desire
I know you're a liar
Algorithms
Deception
Deceit
'The air in Utopia is poison' is released on Bandcamp on 27th August and 3rd September everywhere else.
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