Inca Babies ○ Ghost Mechanic 9

31 Octobre 2024

From CANADA •

Manchester post-punk death-rock rockers Inca Babies present ‘Ghost Mechanic 9’, the title track and second single from their ninth studio album 'Ghost Mechanic Nine'. A driving blast of a guitar song, this song is a powerful indication of the flavour of the album as a whole, the sound owing more to the Incas' early music as Harry Stafford revisits the raw guitar sounds of their 80s output. Earlier, they released the lead track 'Spacewalk', a timeless Rockabilly groove inspired by Link Wray, Alan Vega and Brian Setzer (but set in a Sci-Fi space opera), together with the B-side 'Monster In The Deep'.

Today, Inca Babies is made up of Harry Stafford (guitar, keys, vocals), Rob Haynes (drums, percussion), Jim Adama (bass) and Kevin G. Davy (trumpet). This will be their first release in three years, following their 2021 album ‘Swamp Street Soul’. Continuing their explosive exploration of goth, punk and death-rock jazz-blues, this album explores the essence of the 80s death-rock vibe, with a tribute to the strong riffing and cool, dead-pan delivery of the dark wave scene at the time.

With its singular hypnotic bass rhythm, 'Ghost Mechanic 9' could have fit neatly on their 1986 album ‘Opium Den’ . But those days of analogue imprecision are behind us and, with Simon ‘Ding’ Archer (The Fall, PJ Harvey) at the controls, there is still a contemporary zing to the production and a snap to the overall sound. Recorded at 6Db Studios in Salford, Archer and Stafford recorded and mixed this album over two years, with with 'Ding' also contributing serious sonic and dub flourishes. Marco Butcher subsequently mastered this record at his Boombox studio in North Carolina.

This collection of darkly invigorating tunes,album visits a similar place to where Inca Babies started in the 80s with their psychobilly trash rock, reconnecting with their roots, where The Gun Club and The Cramps met, the intersection where Inca Babies found their most passionate and loyal following. This song is a calling card for the album, taking listeners back to a sound that is raw, spiky and reminiscent of their early days in the 80s.

“This is a surging highway groove that drives us on into the night with a rumbling bass line. Driving for the sake of it; driving to escape. Headlights in the dark: red and blue dash lights; wondering why anyone but you is driving this late. The ghost on the highway, the grease-ball mechanic who says you’ll keep going for miles and miles. And all the numbers are the same. It’s number 9, the ninth album for Inca Babies and he first of nine songs on the album," says Harry Stafford.

Originally comprised of Harry Stafford, Bill Marten, Mike Keeble and Pete Bogg, Inca Babies began in 1983 in the now-legendary deck-access flats of Hulme in Manchester. Intended as executive ‘cities in the sky’, they quickly became cockroach-infested slums inhabited by students, artists and druggies. They released their 1984 debut single 'Interior' on their Black Lagoon label with an unusual sound for Manchester, which was then associated with Joy Division, Buzzcocks, The Fall and The Smiths. With a nod to their influences, Writer CP Lee dubbed them "the Hulme Cramps" for their Gothabilly twang.

A vibrant part of Britain's early postpunk / goth /death rock scene, they amassed a steady following through touring and by releasing a further six singles and four albums over the next five years, all of which entered the UK Indie Charts. They also recorded four sessions for BBC's legendary John Peel show between 1984 and 1988 before calling it quits that year.

Since reforming in 2007, they've released three albums and toured extensively around Europe, Russia, North America, India and beyond. Renewed interest in the Incas was propelled by Cherry Red Records 'Best of’ compilation release ‘Inca Babies 1983-87: Plutonium’. After Bill Marten's death in 2008, the band decided to continue creating music, subsequently releasing their Death Blues Album Trilogy - 'Death Message Blues' (2010), 'Deep Dark Blue' (2012) and 'The Stereo Plan' (2014).

'Ghost Mechanic 9' is available everywhere as of October 30, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. On November 29, the ‘Ghost Mechanic Nine’ album will be released on vinyl and digitally, and can be pre-ordered via Bandcamp and the Louder Than War shop.

"Combine Brian Setzer's twang, the silver lining amidst Bauhaus' dark expanse and the post-punk fever fired up by Gang of Four, you'd end up with the sonic output of long-time deathrock supremos Inca Babies... a captivating blend of angularity and intensity with a driving rhythm" ~ The Spill Magazine

"From their emergence in 1982, they've sculpted a perpetual warped seduction... Their almost serpentine invention and dark musical incitements have continued to inspire and invigorate... truly one of the leading lights and template setting protagonists of British rock ‘n’ roll" ~ Ringmaster Review

"Thirty years down the line the Inca Babies' recordings are not just a collection of outstanding songs from independent music's golden age, but for those of us who were there, they remain pretty much a life statement; a declaration of intent"
~ Isolation Records

Inca Babies

Ghost Mechanic 9

Black Lagoon Records.
The 'Ghost Mechanic Nine' album is out November 29

30 October 2024

CREDITS
Written by Harry Stafford & Rob Haynes
Harry Stafford – vocals, guitars & keyboards
Rob Haynes - drums & percussion
Jim Adama – bass guitar
Kevin G Davy - trumpet, horns
Simon 'Ding' Archer - sonic and dub flourishes
Released by Black Lagoon Records
Catalogue no. BLRLP0060
Recorded, mixed & produced by Simon ‘Ding’ Archer & Harry Stafford
Recorded at 6Db in Salford under Simon ‘Ding’ Archer
Mastered by Marco Butcher at Boombox Studio (North Carolina, USA)
Artwork created by Harry Stafford
Live photos by Simona Masoni
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

TRACK LIST

1. Ghost Mechanic 9 4’03”
2. Insect Symphony 3’57”
3. Agustus Tympan 4’11”
4. I’m Stayin Put 3’25”
5. The Exhaust of Broken Dreams 4’57”
6. Spacewalk 4’01”
7. Mercury is Down 4’06”
8. Deck 4’03”
9. Opium Dub 6’45”

Keep up with Inca Babies
Facebook | Bandcamp
Twitter | Instagram | Soundcoud
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music

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