Total Control

Total Control

Laughing At The System

Alter

***BACK IN STOCK!!!  Received an 8.0 rating from Pitchfork.  "However you might try to find the words for it, Total Control's caustic charm is stunning and oblique. A sensible account of the band typically focuses on its parts—the associated groups, the touring configurations, etc.—as if finding ways by which Total Control is divisible gleans critical information for breaking through their cryptic sheen. With tonic, wry twists, and forever employing aphoristic brevity for the comic/cosmic dynamite that it is best reserved for, the band seems to indulge this with each new release, or tour, or whatever's put on the counter. The bands European tour tape from 2015 was a sure reminder of this.   Their 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, across Melbourne, regional Victoria, and Western Australia, 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...

Total Control

Typical System

Iron Lung

***BACK IN PRINT ON NEW GREEN VINYL!!! Note new price. Received an 8.0 rating from Pitchfork. Total Control emerged from Australia’s dynamic punk scene in ’08, releasing a succession of 7”s that developed from an aggressive post-punk band sound to studio forays into electronic forms from minimal wave to house. Their debut LP, Henge Beat, was commended as one of the few records released in 2011 that evaded the ease of classification and competent tribute act status of most modern bands. Subsequently, they have released three very different records: a split 12” with Thee Oh Sees, a 7” single on Sub Pop and a house remix 12”. Typical System develops on the incongruent demands of their debut LP and ensuing releases, a further development on their continually evolving sound.

Total Control

Henge Beat

Iron Lung

***BACK IN PRINT ON NEW RED VINYL!!! Note new price. The combination of all their previous work and a steady live band has come together to form the great Henge Beat LP. These guys have outdone themselves with this one. Musically it rests somewhere between late ‘70s UK new wave a-la Ha Ha Ha-era Ultravox and the "now sound" Eddy Current Suppression Ring. Aussie garage that we all know and love. Add a dash of hopeful Krautrock flavor and the recipe is a smashing success. We could not be happier to offer this perfect execution to you. Beautifully housed in a bright European-art-designed gatefold sleeve. Received a 7.8 rating from Pitchfork and dozens of year-end top ten list rankings.