North Carolina quartet Cor de Lux (Dawn Moraga, Tim Lusk, John Bliven, and Jacob Richardson) have announced Year of the Horse, their debut release for Ipecac Recordings and the latest project produced by veteran engineer and musician J. Robbins. Leading the announcement is “The Cringe,” a volatile first single that balances raw alt-rock urgency with moments of eerie restraint, allowing the band’s interlocking guitars to shift from abrasive propulsion into ghostly atmospherics.
According to the press release, long operating on the fringes of underground rock, Cor de Lux sound newly emboldened here, embracing sharp dynamics and emotional intensity without sacrificing their experimental instincts. Year of the Horse arrives September 18.
Moraga says of the track: “Living in a developing country really engraved in my heart about knowing what is important and what is not,” referencing her time abroad in Nicaragua. “Materialism fades like bad jeans. The exploitation of the poor to make the rich richer makes my blood boil.”
Bass player John Bliven adds: “’The Cringe’ explains our disdain of the billionaire ‘elite’ and the system that keeps them rapidly gaining. ‘I make a dollar a day’ refers to CEOs giving themselves a tiny salary while obtaining massive share value. Those shares aren’t taxed unless sold, and even then, that tax rate is less than the income tax everyone else pays.”
