Cosmic art punks Jack James and Kemp Muhl, formerly known as Uni, resurrect as UNI and The Urchins
Kemp-directed video for genetically modified Doll Parts (Hole cover) out todayHERE
Uncomfortable and strangely beautiful blend of grunge, synth wave and punk macabre in the best way -PAPER MAGAZINE
On January 13th, 2023,UNI and The Urchinswill release their debut album,Simulator, onChimera Music. Formerly known as Uni, UNI and The Urchins are thepost-apocalyptic rock & roll cultled by vocalist and NYC nightlife fixtureJack James Busaand ex-GOASTT bassistCharlotte Kemp Muhl. Combining acrobatic post-punk with glittery glam rock,V Magazineonce described the bands sound as in their own league and therefore genre.Simulatorwas written (and mixed/mastered/engineered by Kemp) mostly in isolation in the woods of Upstate NY, but takes listeners on a cosmic journey through a"lobotomized disco"world of silicone sex doll factories, crucifix manufacturers and iPhone graveyards, in a Camus-esque dive into the ways technology has permanently changed our lives and, quite literally, us.
And in the same DIY vein as the making of the album,every song onSimulatorwill be turned into an epic music videodirected/edited/colorized (the whole bit) by Kemp herself. Self-taught in every respect - she left school for a modeling career after the sixth grade - Kemp has directed each pre-SimulatorUNI and The Urchins video to date, and her surrealist style has gained her additional gigs directing videos for bands such as The Smashing Pumpkins and The Killers' Mark Stoermer.
The first video to be released from the album, today, is an industrial-trippy cover of Holes Doll Parts. Magnified by the narcissism of social media, the visuals poke fun at the meaningless of beauty as we enter an almost-here age of transhumanism and body/genetic modifications, where bodies will just be an interchangeable design element.
Watch the video for Doll PartsHERE:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acHiln-9C-M&feature=youtu.be
Read atPAPER Magazineabout the "macabre in the best way" videoHERE:https://www.papermag.com/uni-and-the-urchins-doll-parts-2658210728.html?rebelltitem=17#rebelltitem17
Largely written alongside the pandemic-accelerated collapse of civilization - and societys resulting shift from a real world to a virtual world of humanoid avatars -Simulatorwas inspired by Kemp, Jack, and guitarist David Stranges love-hate relationship with the black magic of technology. After years of cynicism towards the modern world, its a trio of retro-rock-loving musicians determination toaccuratelyriff on the musical processes of their predecessors, which always looked forward, not behind. As Ziggy looked to the space race and moon landing as defining zeitgeists of his time, UNI and The Urchins look to the Singularity and the horizon of VR replacing all flesh.
Their motto for this new era? Mutate or Die
Check out an album trailerHERE:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkztKd0kuR0&feature=youtu.be
Watch this space for more news, music, and videos to come fromSimulator.
About Chimera Music
Chimera Music, formed in 2008 in the Manhattan kitchen of Sean Ono Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl, has released the pair's many projects as well as music by Yoko Ono, Moonlandingz, Black Lips, RZA, Iggy Pop, Ahohni, Tune-yards, John Zorn & others.
UNI and the Urchins (Credit: Ariel Sadok)
Frontman Jack James(Credit:Ariel Sadok)
About Frontman Jack James
Jack James is the androgynous alien front-man, starring in and co-creative directing UNI and The Urchins transmedia production house. He appears in television shows such as the FOX series Gotham, Rock Me, and the lead role in feature film, Mister Sister, a performance which earned him a Winter Film Awards nomination for Best Actor. From Blackbook magazine: Singer Jack Jamesghostly falsetto makes the proceedings all the more eerie and disconcerting an alarmingly tall man who resembles a cult character from horror movies vocal chops oozing charisma and star power. He can also appear at your Bar Mitzvah dressed as the lovechild of Kenneth Anger and Peewee Herman for the small fee of 13 Faberg eggs and your immortal soul.
Bassist Charlotte Kemp Muhl(Credit:Ariel Sadok)
About Bassist Charlotte Kemp Muhl
Shedding her Maybelline model image, bassist Charlotte Kemp Muhl has a background in psych rock from The GOASTT, her band with Sean Ono Lennon, their albumMidnight Sunhailed byRolling StoneandNPRas a best-of-the-year. She has since played bass on Jack White'sBoarding House Reach, acted as a zombie in Jim Jarmusch'sThe Dead Don't Die, and composed the score for an upcoming Crispin Glover film. She has directed all of UNI and The Urchins videos and mini-films, and engineered, mixed and mastered their new albumSimulatorherself. A workaholic and a diehard control freak, her biology is 70% composed of cup ramen and useless science factoids.
Guitarist David Strange(Credit:Nathan West)
For more information, contact Hannah Schwartz:hschwartz@shorefire.com
Read more here:
Mutate or Die: UNI and The Urchins Announce Debut Album 'Simulator,' out January 13th, 2023 on Chimera Music - Shore Fire Media
Recommendation and review posted by G. Smith
