On their new release, “Are You Sick?”, Budokan Boys offer up five sprawling, hypnotic tracks of disturbed genius and questionable health. Delivered with a uniquely expressive vocal Sprechgesang, absurd-yet-touching dark comic narratives, hyperrealistic impressions of pandemic paranoia and shrieks of terror from an unsound mind unfold over the kaleidoscopic production. Dubbed-out synths, swirling saxophone lines, bone-rattling percussion and what could be a full chorus of medical devices malfunctioning propel the pieces forward while playfully interacting with the lyrics to create a world of sound that somehow feels both coherent and completely unhinged. Mutating between no-wave, psych, industrial and Hörspiele, this new variant immerses the listener in a fever dream state that is bewildering, fantastical and sublime.
Budokan Boys is the trickster music project of two Americans, Jeff T Byrd and Michael Jeffrey Lee. The duo's songs probe loneliness, trauma, delusion, and love with an auteurist vision and brutal sense of humor. Formed in New Orleans in 2014, they've released albums with Tymbal Tapes and Baba Vanga.
released August 9, 2024
Artwork by Tiny Little Hammers
Mastered by James Plotkin
Are You Sick?
Album