Two great new tapes from Gutter Bloat.
Long time in the making and worth the wait!GTTR08: SPITEFUL WOMB "Mirrorgazing" c22 Spiteful Womb has been releasing tapes for a few years, but it wasn't until I heard recordings from MAPS Fest 2018 and the December 2018 tape "Grey Chambers" on Disclosures (one of my most listened to tapes of 2019) that I really started to take notice of the expert level of building synths and gritty noise to create morbid atmospheres that she can conjure.
"Mirrorgazing" explores the overlapping concepts of body dysmorphia and scrying. Using reflections to find what you're looking for and lose what is there. Mutation, suffering, fractured barrier between mind and body. Six tracks of restrained and ugly power electronics, twisted and disorienting synths and decayed, harsh and mutilated noises. Nora created 2 color collages (including cover) for this release and provided some source material for me to manipulate in the layout. Each tape also comes with a handmade mirror. //
$7.00GTTR09: STRIATIONS "Trauma Code 2" c60It's been just over a year since the first "Trauma Code" was released. This is the next installment in this series. This time more focused, structured and methodical. Rather than 2 sidelong collections, TC2 is arranged into concept pieces varying in sounds from shrieking feedback, clanging and crushing metal abuse and harsh noise blasting aggression. Well-placed found sounds and samples, scraps of all types put into a grinder for a cut-up maelstrom, and foreboding segues that make you wonder if it's you that the first responders are coming to collect off the road.
There's been a lot of behind the scenes trading between Mike and me: photos of blood and brains on the asphalt, sound sources, custom contact microphones, etc. The year that went into all of this resulted in a much stronger release than I expected, not b-sides, but a deeper meditation of vehicular slaughter and first-hand horror of bodies tested by force and inertia. In the shadow of Trauma Code 2, TC1 seems almost like a warm-up.
In the same format as the first, full-color jcard with front cover collage by Adam Medford. Folded ~A4 xerox collage by Striations and Gutter Bloat. //
$8.00samples coming soon
https://gutterbloat.bigcartel.com/ Special note to harsh heads outside of the USA, I've already sent distro copies of each tape to Scream and Writhe (CAN) and White Centipede Noise (Europe). A few other distros/record stores I've already checked with will be sent copies soon and announced in a few days once it's all settled, but I wanted to get some on the way so people didn't need to spend so much on shipping.
