15 July 2023 - 0 Comments

Combining dark, apocalyptic, post-industrial music with a background in crust, hardcore and d-beat, Schkeuditzer Kreuz is the work of expat New Zealand DIY punk veteran, Kieren Hills, now based in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. Premiering via CVLT Nation on Friday, Second Life is the second single and video lifted from SK’s forthcoming sophomore album, No Life Left: available for pre-order on Bandcamp now. No Life Left from Schkeuditzer Kreuz is set for vinyl, cassette, and digital release on 25 August 2023 via Australia’s Bad Habit Records – distributed in the US by Sorry State Records – and supported in Europe by extensive tourdates throughout September and October.

The previous Schkeuditzer Kreuz single Joy premiered on 30 May via Side-Line Magazine, showcasing a gargantuan, loping, doom-laden groove, which garnered widespread attention from the dark alt / industrial music communities.

By contrast, Second Life and its kickabilly backbeat lean further into Kieren’s punk influences, highlighting the other side to Schkeuditzer Kreuz: essentially a d-beat punk song, but “played on heavily distorted synth, with a lot of samples.” Speaking to CVLT Nation, Kieren described the lyrical premise of ‘Second Life’ as a “pretty straightforward” response to gun violence in the US:

“I was and am appalled by the repeated school shootings that have become normal and almost unremarkable in the States, and the total lack of real action to tackle the issue.”

In a viscerally real and thought-provoking response to ‘Second Life’, CVLT Nation’s Meghan MacRae wrote:

“…listening to the chaotic sounds of industrial synth crust // d-beat raw synth punk multi-machinist Schkeuditzer Kreuz perfectly captures the disgust and fear I felt watching the country descend into yet another Libs vs Cons debate… On Second Life, he samples soundbites from the dizzying and disorienting media bullshit that follows a mass shooting, chanting “Another one dead / and another one fucking dies!”

The Second Life video is set in an inner-city alleyway in west Sydney; shot and produced by Shaye from DMWC Films. Kieren explains the setting:

“I’ve always had a policy of playing anywhere and everywhere with SK. I’ve played in a lot of weird and wonderful places in the last 3 years – in sheds and video stores, in the forest and in car parks, house shows, club shows, in-stores, and pub shows – under bridges and in skate parks. Anywhere at all. So, I wanted to do that for the video.

Second Life, along with the previous single Joy, is available for download with presales of the new album No Life Left. The full album releases in vinyl LP, cassette, and digital formats on 25 August 2023, through Bad Habit Records in Australia. No Life Left by Schkeuditzer Kreuz will be distributed in the US through Sorry State Records, and supported in the UK and Europe by live tour dates spanning September and October.

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