A big shout out to Thirty Something Records for doing great work. In addition to reissuing titles by such bands as Gratitude and Starmarket, the Berlin-based indie label is about to release Pretend I'm Human, the third and last LP from Orange 9mm.
The long out-of-print album was originally issued in 1999, and featured the final Orange 9mm lineup of vocalist Chaka Malik (Burn), guitarist/bassist Taylor McLam (Fountainhead), and drummer Matthew Cross (108).
A stylistic departure from the group's earlier, more post-hardcore-based approach, Pretend I'm Human found them exploring electronica, among other sonic textures.
For the reissue, the label has commissioned a new remaster of the sessions, plus reimagined artwork by Simon Tripcony, a UK artist recently profiled on No Echo. Thirty Something Records previously dropped a reissue of Orange 9mm's second album, 1996's Tragic.
Though it won't be out til later this month, you can sample the newly mastered version of Pretend I'm Human via "Dragons (You Know I Love You)," the 6th cut from the record:
Chaka had the following to say about the track's lyrics:
“'Dragons' is about the pain, anger, and ultimately the forgiveness of the sting of codependant relationships and how many of us repeat the cycle of codependency even though we know how the story will end. It’s both a horror story and a lesson in life’s dynamics.”
The digital release of Pretend I'm Human will drop on June 18th, and the pre-orders are flowing for the vinyl and cassette versions of the reissue.
US pre-orders are available at both RevHQ and Deathwish Inc, while European listeners can get both the vinyl and cassettes directly from Thirty Something Records.
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Tagged: burn, orange 9mm
