The Platinum selling post-industrial rock pioneers Filter have released ‘Obliteration‘, a new single taken from their upcoming album The Algorithm. In an Instagram post Richard Patrick, the bands frontman and the T-1000’s little brother, enthusiastically announced the new songs debut, expressing that he was “psyched to finally reveal our new single“. Filter came to be in 1993 when, whilst taking a break from touring with Nine Inch Nails as the bands live guitarist, Patrick began making music of his own at the suggestion of one Trent Reznor.
Sonically ‘Obliteration‘ sounds reminiscent of the now iconic post-industrial anguish anthems Filter achieved infamy with in the mid 1990’s, ‘Hey Man Nice Shot‘ in particular. Released in 1995 ‘Hey Man Nice Shot‘ was penned in apparent admiration of disgraced American politician Budd Dwyer’s public suicide. The ominous ode became one of the bands signature drone/dirge rock dittys, peaking at number 76 on the US charts.
In addition to the new single the band also simultaneously released an animated audio visual accompaniment depicting a post-apocalyptic mall goth girl pottering about what appears to be the bombed out husk of Hollywood. Having been atomically annihilated (or should I say obliterated?) the pixie-esque girl emerges from the underground clutching a cardboard. Whats in the box I here you ask? Watch the video below and find out:
The Algorithm was originally conceived way back in 2018 as a sequel to the bands grind-guitar debut disc Short Bus, when unbeknownst to either of them singer, Richard Patrick and Filters ex-guitar player Brian Liesegang both attended the same Veruca Salt concert. After being called out mid-performance by front woman Louise Post the pair were inspired to bury the hatchet and get back into the studio for the first time since 1995.
However, the recording project, tentatively titled Rebus, soon changed course after the collapse of the online crowdfunding platform PledgeMusic through which the duo sought to fund the album via fan donations. Liesegang once again parted ways but undeterred by this series of unfortunate events the Patrick continued to work on the album, now known as They’ve Got Us Where They Want Us, Right at Each Others Throats before changing his mind and renaming the album Murica in 2020 upon releasing the single ‘Thoughts and Prayers‘ before U-turning and swapping the name back to the former.
On May 5th 2023, after a sporadic spree of single releases Patrick finally announced that the album would now be called The Algorithm and is scheduled for release on 25th of August 2023.
You can pre-order The Algorithm via this link: https://orcd.co/filter-the-algorithm
Filter are also currently in the midst of a world tour, set to embark on the UK leg in early 2024.
Heres the UK dates:
12/3/2024 – Gorilla – Manchester
13/3/2024 – Classic Grand – Glasgow
15/3/2024 – 02 Academy Birmingham – Birmingham
16/3/2024 – 02 Academy Islington – London
You can purchase tickets here: https://officialfilter.com/tour/