Name: Ecstasy of Ruin
Brand: Autobahn

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

TLV162LP

Colour

White

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2023-04-28

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Cargo

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

5055869549530

Total Cap

White LP

TLV162CD

5055869549554

Artist

Autobahn

Genre GB

Alternative / Modern

Label GB

Tough Love

Tough Love is a record label based in London, UK. Established in 2005, the label has become a prominent force in the music industry, representing a diverse range of talented artists and releasing groundbreaking music across various genres.
With an unwavering commitment to quality and innovation, Tough Love has earned a reputation for discovering and nurturing emerging talent. The label's extensive catalog showcases an eclectic mix of electronic, house, techno, and alternative sounds that captivate listeners worldwide.
Driven by a passion for music and an entrepreneurial spirit, Tough Love continues to push boundaries and challenge conventions. With their finger on the pulse of contemporary trends and an ear for timeless melodies, they are at the forefront of shaping the future of music.

Autobahn is an artist known for their unique blend of post-punk and darkwave music. With influences ranging from Saigon Blue Rain to Death Bells, Autobahn creates a sound that is both haunting and captivating. Their music is characterized by atmospheric guitars, driving basslines, and powerful vocals.
Similar to bands like Chain of Flowers and Ritual Howls, Autobahn's music transports listeners to a world filled with melancholic beauty. The band's ability to create a sense of urgency in their songs sets them apart from other artists in the genre.
Autobahn has gained a loyal following through their energetic live performances and thought-provoking lyrics. Fans of A Projection and FACS will appreciate the raw emotion that Autobahn brings to each song. Whether you're a fan of post-punk or simply looking for something new, Autobahn is an artist worth exploring.

Back In Stock

Reports of their demise have been greatly exaggerated - the North has risen again. Close to five years since their last record, Leeds denizens Autobahn re-enter the fray with the release of their third record, Ecstasy of Ruin, via Tough Love. Half a decade is both a long time and no time at all: forever changes while some things remain eternal… So it goes that Autobahn may have re-emerged with many of the hallmarks of their characteristic blend of industrial post-punk intact, but under the bonnet they’re a much leaner, more focused machine. Autobahn 3.0.

If 2017’s The Moral Crossing was a record defined by its dramatic rhythm section, then it’s not insignificant that the 2023 incarnation of Autobahn arrives shaved to a four piece and sans their previous drummer. The change necessitates an evolution. Live drums have given way to drum-machines and sample-based percussion, and with it see the band reconfigure their typically blackened aesthetic into a hardened take on Electronic Body Music. As with their previous record, it’s an entirely self-produced collection, recorded between two self-built studios on a range of analogue equipment, the ghosts of their industrial forefathers haunting the circuits. Indeed, some of Ecstasy of Ruin was made with pieces salvaged from Martin Hannett’s legendary studio. The mark of their presence is clear and Autobahn certainly feel part of the long tradition of crepuscular music to emanate from Northern Britain, be that the transgressive activities of COUM Transmissions from Hull, Sheffield Steel City or the gothic history of their very own hometown. It’s a noble torch they carry.

Still, if Ecstasy of Ruin forms part of a rich lineage, it also speaks to right now. No album opens with a song titled ‘Post-History’ and closes with another called ‘Class War’ without some concession to the current condition and its place within it. Industrial music by its very nature is a physical concern, often placing the human body and its experience in the context of technology, reflecting the varying trevails of late capitalism. Autobahn strive towards some kind of articulation of that conflict. The music is unrelentingly taut and terse, and the vocals of frontman Craig Johnson are invariably intense, though lyrically there are repeated allusions to beauty, empowerment and, ostensibly, hope. As such, the title of the album is an instructive one - there’s some kind of bliss in all this mess. Autobahn don’t so much push against the pain as ride it out to its (il)logical ends. As Johnson implores on the title track, “focus on living, the pain wont be forgotten”. It’s a relatable sentiment.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

For fans of Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, PIL, EBM, Skinny Puppy, Wax Trax

Ecstasy of Ruin

Music GB