SAVAK (members of Obits, Holy Fuck, The Cops) released their third album Beg Your Pardon, on November 9 via Ernest Jenning Record Co. The band will be hitting the UK next month for some shows.

Sohrab Habibion on “Nature Erased”:

“Nature Erased” was musically inspired by equal measures of Big Boys, Dead Kennedys and James Chance. A bit of nervy guitar work sitting atop an odd-time bass and drum gallop that gets broken up by a droning pulse and a bit of sax squall.

Lyrically I wanted to combine elements of our modern jargon (“narrative control,” “startup culture”) with both corporate language we’re bombarded with (“surge-priced ride-share,” “wearable tech”) and genuine concerns (“private economy,” “occupied land”). We live in an era where news about Über’s social image issues gets the same airtime as Israeli forces unlawfully killing Palestinian civilians. Meantime in our own Facebook loop we’re posting pictures of a fun night out next to requests to sign urgent petition for social change. It’s all a bit surreal and one morning it hit me just how insane the name of a particular online marketing company is: Constant Contact. I mean, is that a promise or a threat? To their credit, it perfectly captures where we are… here in Brooklyn, living and dying by the click.”

Of the video, Sohrab adds “I heavily manipulated found footage and overlaid all the lyrics using existing album art (from Desperate Bicycles and Silver Apples to Amon Tobin and Janet Jackson), trying to capture something between 80s hardcore flyers and the more psychedelic elements of Nam June Paik’s video art. And, yes, there is a blatant reference to The Rezillos ‘(My Baby Does) Good Sculptures’!”

Beg Your Pardon follows a compelling progression from their past releases (2016’s Best Of Luck In Future Endeavors and 2017’s Cut-Ups) – equally the most punk rock and sublime record in their repertoire. The new album features everything from noisy careeners and ’80s hardcore nods to slightly glammy stompers and straight-up, New Zealand-inspired, guitar-pop songs (and that’s just in the first 10 minutes of side one).

SAVAK
UK Dates

14th November – Margate, Elsewhere
15th November – London, New River Studios (w/Good Grief)
16th November – Nottingham, The Square Centre (w/Grey Hairs & Good Grief)
17th November – Liverpool, Outpost (w/Good Grief)

Beg Your Pardon is out November 9 via Ernest Jenning Record Co on CD, LP and digital download, with exclusive vinyl release in the UK on Hello Thor Records.