Dan Hillier
Comprised of Chris Clarke (bass, vocals, synths) and Owen Gildersleeve (drums), Conditions Of Worth is Modern Technology’s second LP and sounds like the structural breakdown of the neglected machine that is British society. Conceived under the dark wing of the pandemic and finally recorded last year at London’s Holy Mountain Studios, Conditions Of Worth harkens the collapse of the decaying joints, neglected cogs and the now threadless screws that once held this nation together. As the granulating bass and synths of the record visualise the brittle rust of our broken down socio-economic system, the roars of Clarke sound perfectly alike to us as a collective neglected population screaming not in alarm, but in tired anxiety as the world disintegrates around us.
It’s impossible not to think of acts in the vein of Oxbow, Big | Brave, Melvins and fellow UK luminaires Thank, JOHN and Torpor in thanks to Conditions Of Worth’s suffocating atmosphere. But what separates this record from its contemporaries is both its vivid delivery and intertwined feelings of hope and anxiety. It’s our own children who who will be left with this broken and dying world, but hopefully, they will learn from our errors and revitalise the planet we ruined and abandon our callous economic order that currently stands as an act of sheer folly. Or perhaps they will be unable to carry out the task ahead of them. Such feelings of fear and hope intertwine as one on this album, but in contrast, to air such thoughts in such a visual way provides real catharsis.
“The writing and recording of this album was a very cathartic experience for both of us”, state Modern Technology on the birth of the record. “We were dealing with the emotions around the pandemic and both becoming new fathers, whilst we watched the world turn in on itself and global threats such as the climate catastrophe going largely unnoticed. We found salvation in writing and jamming when we were finally able to get back into the studio. The emotion, frustration and pent up energy we felt from that time has really been captured in this record.”
Conditions Of Worth will be released October 13th via Human Worth, with proceeds of vinyl sales going to towards the Choose Love charity – more information on their crucial work and donations can be found here. On top of this, Modern Technology are also collaborating with pedal company Audio Surplus Effects for a limited run of ‘Lurid Machine’ pedals. Pre-order both the album and pedal on Bandcamp here, and listen to Conditions Of Worth exclusively below.
Conditions of Worth by Modern Technology