Mandy, Indiana are back with a swirling, claustrophobic techno-indebted cut called “Injury Detail”. The Manchester noise outfit – now a full-fledged foursome with the additions of drummer Alex MacDougall and synth player Simon Catling – has established a playful knack for making the listener uncomfortable, and this new track indeed continues that trend. A sonorous pipe organ intro serves as a red herring for a hissing, seething industrial pulse.
On song’s like “Pashto” and “Bottle Episode” you could count on all hell to breaketh loose eventually. But with “Injury Detail”, Mandy, Indiana exercise the power of restraint: the gaunt throb of the bass, the clattering percussion and spine-chilling synth hexes give the impression of being in a rather bad spot, stuck between enclosing walls and imminent danger outside. The band’s vocalist Valentine Caulfield acts out the part of a stoic announcer giving oblique instructions in French; it all feeds into a harsh and intrusive dose of reality.
“Injury Detail’ was inspired by the idea of being trapped in a liminal space, with the guitars creating a seemingly limitless and undefined landscape,” according to Caulfield. “The vocals act as a guide to possible salvation, or perhaps something of a more sinister intent.” Produced by guitarist Scott Fair and Robin Stewart of Giant Swan, the song is said to draw heavily from dystopian video games like Bioshock and films such as Blade Runner 2049.
Listen to “Injury Detail” below with the accompanying visuals from Thomas Harrington Rawle. You can find the track at various streaming outlets.
“Injury Detail” is out on Fire Talk. Follow Mandy, Indiana on Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
