Name: Laughing At The System
Brand: Total Control

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

alt38

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Colour

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

2017-12-08

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Cargo

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

0766330088162

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Total Cap

1 / 12" / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Total Control

Genre GB

New Wave / Post Punk

Label GB

Alter

Alter is a London-based music label that was founded in January 2010 by Luke Younger of Helm. With a focus on experimental and avant-garde music, Alter has quickly gained recognition for its unique roster of artists and innovative releases.

As an independent label, Alter prides itself on pushing boundaries and challenging traditional notions of sound. The label's diverse range of artists includes both established musicians and emerging talents, all united by their commitment to artistic exploration.

Distributed in the UK by Cargo Records, Alter continues to make waves in the music industry with its thought-provoking releases. Whether you're a seasoned fan or new to the world of experimental music, Alter offers a captivating listening experience that will leave you inspired and wanting more.

Total Control is a Post-Punk / Synth-Pop act hailing from Melbourne, Australia. They have been active in the music scene since 2008. With their unique blend of genres, Total Control has captivated audiences worldwide. Their sound can be likened to artists such as UV Race, Royal Headache, and Eddy Current Suppression Ring. Known for their electrifying performances and innovative musical style, *Total Control* continues to push boundaries and redefine the music industry. If you're a fan of experimental music that pushes the limits, Total Control is a must-listen.

Since their formation over a decade ago, *Total Control* has garnered critical acclaim for their distinctive sound and captivating live shows. Drawing inspiration from various genres including post-punk and synth-pop, they have carved out a niche for themselves in the Australian music scene. Their discography boasts an impressive collection of albums that showcase their evolution as artists.

If you enjoy the sounds of *UV Race*, *Royal Headache*, or *Eddy Current Suppression Ring*, then Total Control will undoubtedly be right up your alley. With influences ranging from punk to new wave, this Melbourne-based band offers a fresh take on alternative music.

Total Control's new 12", Laughing At The System, is a succinct statement, but it feels like the sharpest thing they've ever assembled. Written and recorded over the past couple of years in various lounge rooms, bedrooms, and rehearsal studios, Al Montfort, Daniel Stewart, James Vinciguerra, Mikey Young, and Zephyr Pavey are—for the record—all accounted for in the process.

Laughing At The System is bookended by a title track in two parts. The scattered mania of the opener is an unsettling beginning, with cascading madhouse-riffs somehow finding a ricocheting unison. The closing part has the familiar head-charge of Total Control's most gnashing moments, with the guitars balancing the equation between running-too-fast and drinking-too-fast in one queasy commitment. With a brilliantly acerbic wit, we're implored to gather that there's some equivalences here. And it's this kind of impulse that's kept up throughout the 12". Drizzled with Vinciguerra's fraught fills, which have the rare quality of being unmistakably his in both electronic and acoustic form, this punctuation comes in and out of focus between elegiac moments and breezy experimentation, the latter including the elated instrumental Cathie and Marg. Throughout, Stewart scripts a tumultuous wake for a flatlining reality, forever nudging the listener to second-guess themselves about the sincerity and intent. Far from cynical, but earnestly neurotic, the potency of the atmosphere that Total Control has mustered across Laughing At The System registers as a deeply commanding, though bleak, psychedelicism for the future."

Laughing At The System

Music GB