Veteran instrumental three-piece, Cypher, launch their latest album, One Thousand Birds, at PICA Bar this Saturday, November 2, with support from The Silent World, Mudlark and DJ Adam Trainer.
Cypher have been around since the late ‘90s, when they began as a five piece. They’re down to a trio now – Sebastian Parsons on guitar, Alec Monger on bass and Sam Pugsley on drums – but they’re still producing ambitious, difficult to pigeonhole soundscapes.
“We started in the vein of our heroes Mogwai and Trans Am long before the term “post rock” became a genre name,” Pugsley explains. “But I guess that’s where we fit these days.”
Still, there’s a certain respect for the traditions of music making, as evidenced by the care and effort that has gone into not only the recording but also the packaging of their latest release, the upcoming One Thousand Birds, which is coming out on coloured 12 inch vinyl with a beautiful gatefold cover. “Now that we’re older and wiser we have been able to spend on a high quality studio recording and producing 250 limited edition coloured vinyl records overseas, importing them from Pirates Press in Czech Republic. It’s been a labour of love, two years to write, record and produce and receive.
“The theme of the record is our guitarist, Sebastian’s, trip to Chernobyl, Ukraine.” Pugsley continues. “They are road trip songs for an abandoned, radioactive ghost town. The gatefold artwork consists of photos taken at an abandoned children’s playground at the town of Pripyat which was left to rust and return to nature.”
Launching at PICA Bar has also allowed the band to put together something that goes beyond the usual gig structure. “There will be an installation combining pictures, sound and video relating to the Chernobyl theme. There will be a gallery of these photos presented, along with our live set which will feature props and video projection while we play.”
