Release Date: 13 July 2024 - Out now!
Sounds like: Nothing really, but depending on the track people heard Beatles, David Bowie, Pink Floyd,
Dissociatives, Frank Zappa, Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel, White Stripes, Radiohead, Beck
Link page (buy, stream, watch, follow):
https://push.fm/fl/eclecticdystopia
Bandcamp:
https://disconnectica.bandcamp.com/album/eclectic-dystopia
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6elYrUrtFpDExQS8KTUZDm
Apple:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/eclectic-dystopia/1752929924?ls=1
Deezer:
https://www.deezer.com/album/604688122
SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/disconnectica/sets/eclectic-dystopia
High-def cover art:
https://disconnectica.com/Art/EclecticDystopia-Big.jpg
Embark on a genre-bending adventure with Disconnectica's debut album, Eclectic Dystopia, released on 13 July 2024. Drawing inspiration from iconic artists such as The Beatles, Bowie, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel and The White Stripes, Disconnectica crafts a sonic landscape that defies categorization. Elements of art rock, prog rock, and baroque pop are all on display here as we leap around under a broad alternative rock banner. Eclectic Dystopia traverses diverse musical and lyrical territories as each track explores its own personal dystopia.
“Maybe the dystopian future is already here. Not caused by a singular event which affects us all, but 8 billion individual dystopias personally tailored to each of us.” - Disconnectica
We start right out of the gate with the huge driving drums and organ stabs of Deviate, the official single to coincide with the album release. Its dystopian message looks at our tendency to turn away from tragedy. The industrial beat reaches a climactic finale before descending into pure glitch. But this melts away into the lush string and harp arrangement that announces the second track Somewhere Always. The eclectic nature of the album is on show here, taking us from Nine Inch Nails to something more like The Beatles or a Disney soundtrack. Sitar, and pitch-shifting vocal effects generate a mystical allure.
White Noise enters White Stripes territory as electric guitar takes the front seat. This old-school rock anthem tackles racism, sexism and homophobia. We are treated to endless musical deviations and some epic wailing guitar solos along the way.
Treat is next, described by Kate Kingsmill from Melbourne's 3RRR as "psychotic madness". The deep combo of trombone, bass and drums takes the wheel, and sets a sinister course for gluttony and guilty pleasures. One of the catchiest tracks, you'll find yourself singing "Gonna have myself a treat" next time you indulge yourself.
Possibly the craziest track, Kindest Regards is next, described as "bonkers" on Big Satsuma Radio in the UK. The first half is psychobilly post-punk chaos, mostly with 7/8 timing, as the singer decries "I got you nothing for your birthday!". The song takes various twists and turns before completely changing for the second half. Then we're back in baroque pop territory evoking Beatles again or ELO, and a relaxing change after the chaotic first half. The track fades away leaving just an acoustic guitar which takes us smoothly into the next track.
The Shape of Pears is an epic journey, hinting in riddles at a fractured, broken relationship, with a protagonist unwilling to acknowledge reality. Phrases land on off-kilter notes that keep us off-balance. The track builds from a small start to a dramatic end, with lots of exploration and variation along the way. Harp makes another appearance, alongside strings and piano, in a luxurious instrumental section in the middle, which falls into a quiet but creepy section with pizzicato strings and cryptic lines like "When there's no one home / I sit in all the chairs".
Another departure in style is next with Thought Bubble. This is the most electronic-sounding track on the album, featuring an 808 drum machine rather than the real drum sounds found elsewhere. It acts as a bit of a palate cleanser, starting at a slower pace. Minimal beats at the start and vocals drenched in airy reverb give the sense of floating in space. The tempo gradually increases throughout the track however until strings and brass explode onto the scene to carry us through to the thunderous end. A montage of breaths and reversed sounds follows, leading us into the next track.
Reveal is the biggest production on the album. More baroque pop, this time with a playful circus vibe. There's so much going on here. So many different directions explored, and so many instruments at play. African and Western percussion both take part, along with guitars, piano, harpsichord, glockenspiel, strings, synths, organ and even a kazoo! But the instruments always leave space for the crystal clear vocals. We find intricate lyrics like "Slay the slave that lives in your heart / Sever your two selves apart / Spill your soliloquy / Share your darkest thoughts with me". A sprawling epic with never a dull moment.
The only instrumental track on the album, Still Life with Zombies, takes us into a world of suspense and fear, and screams to be used as a soundtrack for a zombie movie or game. Creepy quiet moments with slow ominous breaths. Tension building as danger nears. Squealing guitar stabs that tells us to run for our lives. There's even snippets of honky-tonk piano meandering in and out like tumbleweed, evoking the unsettling sense of an abandoned town in the old West.
Finally the album concludes with a surprise twist: Letters to Santa, a whimsical Christmas song full of playful Christmas sounds like sleigh bells, harp, glockenspiel, and pizzicato strings. Naomi Summers appears as guest vocalist to deliver a beautiful operatic performance worthy of any festive season variety show. But despite the Christmas atmosphere and the title Letters to Santa, the lyrics never actually mention Christmas or anything related to it. Instead they describe being stuck on hold, waiting to leave a complaint for some faceless but ever-so-polite corporation, and hoping your message will reach someone who matters. Hopeful messages sent into the void. Letters to Santa, if you will. Our final dystopia.
Eclectic Dystopia is a testament to Disconnectica's boundless creativity and willingness to push musical boundaries. It takes us on a wild journey through ever-evolving musical styles and arrangements. Disconnectica always finds something new up his sleeve, delivering unexpected changes around every corner. This is the kind of old-school innovation and experimentation we associate more with the 1970s than the 2020s. You're sure to make fresh discoveries with every listen.
See artist bio below for information about radio plays and awards for music videos for tracks from the album.“Disconnectica has crafted a masterpiece of genre-bending
brilliance, a work that will stay with you long after the final track fades.”
-
Review by Edgar Allan Poets
“Disconnectica's debut album, “Eclectic Dystopia”, is a tour de
force of musical exploration and innovation.”
-
Review by We Write About Music
“This incredible journey through genres defies simple labels like art rock,
psychedelic rock, or progressive rock. It's a unique blend of influences that
creates a truly one-of-a-kind experience. Dive into the eclectic sounds and let
the music take you on an unforgettable ride!”
-
Review by Rock Era Magazine
“As the album flows along, Robert's stylistic choices go from Indian-inspired
sitars (“Somewhere Always”) to idyllic post-punk landscapes, like the ones heard on
highlight “Reveal”...
Robert always finds a way to merge all of his sonic influences together into one seamless
picture...
“Eclectic Dystopia”...ventures on the most exquisite experimental routes... filling in the
gaps of a sonically boring mainstream musical landscape...
His provocative vision of what contemporary music could be really stands tall as one that
could never be matched by anyone else. On his debut album, the Melbourne-based artist
goes all in relentless and unafraid to do the impossible, and he emerges on the other end
as one of the most alluring and ingenious artists of our generation.”
-
Review by LT1KF
Disconnectica is the solo project of singer/songwriter Robert Webb from Melbourne, Australia, delivering genre-hopping under a broad alternative rock umbrella. Quirky songwriting reminiscent of Bowie and Beatles, with elements of rock à la White Stripes and Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the downright weirdness of Radiohead and Zappa. At times playful, at times sinister, often both. But always unique.
Disconnectica's debug album Eclectic Dystopia has finally been released after years of work and tweaking. Eight singles from the album received airplay on Australian FM radio, including 3RRR (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), RTRFM, 4ZZZ (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), Three D Radio, Tribe FM, Gippsland FM, Pulse FM (1, 2), 2MCE-FM, Valley FM, 107.3 HFM and played over 200 times on Antipodes Radio (1, 2, 3), and played on Big Satsuma Radio in the UK (1, 2. 3).
His music videos have won Best Music Video at the Aasha International Film Festival 2023, won Best Music Video, Best Original Idea, and Best FX (twice) and been nominated for Best Director, Best Music Video (twice), Best Original Idea (twice), Best Editing (twice), and Best FX at the Top Indie Film Awards 2023/2024, won Best Visual Effects, Best VFX in a Music Video, Best Avant Garde Music Film and Best New Wave Music Film at the Festival de Indie 2024, won Best Music Video at Italy's Giove International Film Festival 2024, won Best Music Video at the Cuckoo International Film Awards 2024, won Best Art Music Video and Best Experimental Music Video at the Parai International Musical Awards 2024, a winner in the Spring Film Festival of Kerala 2024, been finalists in the Rome Music Video Awards 2024 and the Prague International Music Video Awards 2023, received an honorable mention from the Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival 2023, received a Special Mention from the United Kingdom Music Video Festival 2023, and been part of the official selection for the CUT International Short Film Festival 2024, Europe Music Video Awards 2023, Tokyo International Short Film Festival 2024.
“That was wild... Beatlesque” - Tim Shiel (host on Double J & Triple J)
“The psychotic madness of Disconnectica” - Kate Kingsmill, 3RRR
“I really enjoyed listening to this song. It is so different but familiar at the same time. I am intrigued and want to hear more” - Indie Music Insider Blog's review of Somewhere Always
“...tonight we'll be shining the spotlight on his latest single White Noise... With old-school wailing electric guitars and an amazing solo in the middle this is one to make you move and think at the same time.” - Dirty Harry, S.O.S., 2MCE FM
Disconnectica is a DIY artist using only virtual instruments on a computer, but gravitates towards realistic sounds, and has fooled musicians with his electric guitars and drums. However, only the vocals are are recorded from outside the computer.
“I've always been a bit of an outsider, a bit of a hermit, and felt the need to go my own way, divert from the pack. It's the same with music and everything else I do. I don't expect it to have mass appeal, but I hope it finds a cult niche corner in the alternative market somewhere”
Being interested in the whole package, he also designs his own cover art and makes trippy music videos. A programmer by trade, he writes software to create mind-bending geometric effects for these videos. He writes “It's great to have a single purpose that brings all my big interests together: music, film, geometry and programming.”
Robert played piano in his youth. His family had two synthesizers and a hardware sequencer, and he remembers spending many hours composing and recording long instrumental pieces on their primitive interfaces. Who needs a computer when you have two lines of dot-matrix text?! He moved onto other things for many years, writing the occasional piano solo. But eventually answered the call and returned to music production.
Website: disconnectica.com
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@disconnectica
Bandcamp:
https://disconnectica.bandcamp.com
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1L1vRCHFZ21DhYyyPui5ZE
Apple:
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/disconnectica/1545220405
SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/disconnectica
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/mrdisconnectica/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Disconnectica
TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@disconnectica