Dark Electronic Artist SINE Addresses Alternate Reality With New EP, ‘Mantis 2’
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 12, 2022 – Austin, Texas artist, SINE, announces the release of their new five-song EP, Mantis 2; the second in a trilogy, “Mantis 1, 2 & 3”. Mantis 2 is released by Austin-based record label eMERGENCY heARTS and is available NOW!
Mantis 1 and Mantis 2 were produced by SINE founder, Rona Rougeheart in collaboration with esteemed audio engineer Charles Godfrey at Scary American Studio in Austin, TX. Godfrey, in his two decade plus career, has been engineer/producer on over 75 recordings, including the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’It’s Blitz! and Mosquito, The Black Angels‘ Indigo Meadow, and notable work for…Trail of Dead, SWANS, among so many more.
Mantis 2 opens with a circus in the distance, swirling backwards into a blasting march that leads into a cutting, electronic bass-line. “Virtual Realitease” is the first track on Mantis 2. It sets the theme of the EP as a study of life going from real to virtually real and the pains of adapting to a life forced apart from one another.
The new EP also has a cover of The Glove’s song, “Sex-Eye-Make Up”. Rona Rougeheart tells us why she chose that song to do a rare SINE cover.
“The Cure is one of my all time favorite bands. When I was growing up, I loved Robert Smith and followed everything he did musically, which led me to Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Glove. When I found out that The Glove was Robert Smith and Steve Severin of Siouxsie and the Banshees, I had to get it! It’s still one of my favorite albums – the song “Sex-Eye-Make Up” is one of my favorites on the album, so it was a natural choice. I don’t usually do covers, but oddly enough, the only other SINE cover is of The Cure song, “Like Cockatoos”. I guess all roads lead to The Cure!”
In discussing the recording process, Rougeheart said, “I worked with producer Mark Pistel (Consolidated, Meat Beat Manifesto). He took my bare demo and added more instrumentation and those super cool, dreamy vibes you hear. When I heard our final mix, I felt like I wanted to cry tears of joy! I’ve imagined doing this cover for years, so it was an absolute thrill to have Mark help me with it.”
Mantis 2 is a ride into a virtual world of satire and dream-state realities that ends with a melancholic, piano and string piece called “Soundtrack of a Wasted Recovery”. The vocals are in a spoken-word style with lyrics that evoke the sadness, loneliness and feelings of inadequacy that we often get consumed with. It’s a touching track with hopes for change.
Rona Rougeheart talks about the direction of the Mantis 1 and Mantis 2 EPs:
“I like to call the music on the Mantis EPs, “electronic boom”. I really love beats, deep bass and subs. I’m rooted in dark electronic dance music and industrial sounds, but as a drummer, I can’t deny that I’m more drum and bass oriented with my percussion background being the core foundation of the music I create.”
SINE continues to evolve as one of Austin, Texas’ most intriguing and fashion forward music acts transcending industrial, goth, trip-hop into a unique aesthetic that is most captivating and uniquely SINE.
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