Toby Hayes aka Laundromat has revealed the details of the final EP in his triptych: it’s called Red (to follow up Blue and Green) and comes out on April 23 via Brace Yourself. The news brings with it a new single called “Flat Planet”, with Laundromat saying:
“I don’t ever remember setting out to write a tune like this, but here it is anyways. I kinda hear it like a St. Vincent song or something like that. Some tongue in cheek (but not) apocalyptic-pop. An eye-roll pointed right back at us dumb humans. You know how when you’re reading the news, and it’s facepalm after facepalm? This was a response to that feeling. The drop at the end is a Big Muff driving a Harmonic Percolator – a lot of fun through headphones.“
The St. Vincent feeling is certainly present in the crunchy guitar that enters “Flat Planet” around half way, but, prior to that, Laundromat builds a tactile and detailed world of his own with synths, clicks and samples of digital interference. Gluing it all together is the characterful bassline, which seems to animate the singer’s wandering thoughts as he finds himself observing human activity with ever-growing disbelief at the stupidity, greed and self-absorption. “This could be tongue in cheek / we’ll end up back in the sea / a universal facepalm,” he surmises – and it’s kinda hard to disagree. Despite the nihilism on display in “Flat Planet”, Laundromat’s production and affectless delivery make it a sonic and emotional delight – it’s nice just to know that you’re not the only one left gobsmacked with incredulousness on a regular basis.
Laundromat’s new EP, Red, is coming out on April 23 via Brace Yourself (pre-order/save). You can find him on Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
