Omaha-based band THE FAINT released their sixth album, DOOM ABUSE today via SQE Music. DOOM ABUSE, THE FAINT’s first release since 2008’s Fasciinatiion.

To understand DOOM ABUSE and its raw, visceral aesthetic you have to understand its birth story. You have to understand that after touring for a year on their 2008 self-released album Fasciinatiion, an album that took several years to write and produce, THE FAINT ceased to exist. The musicians were burned out, uninspired and could no longer find the most important element of any musical creation: fun. They went their separate ways, pursued other sorts of music in other projects, sometimes together and sometimes separately, and learned new ways of channeling sound.

Then, in the spring of 2013, THE FAINT existed again. Anxious to make new music the band recorded a 4-song white label 12″ they referred to as “Preversions.” That music, primal and punk rock in its approach became the unplanned blueprint for DOOM ABUSE.

The band booked time with longtime collaborator Mike Mogis to mix the album before even really having songs written. There was no specific concept, just a sense of wanting to capture moments of real passion and invigorated glee. A lot of the record was created live in the room, with first takes and first ideas taking precedent.

The entire album took only about three months to create. It reflects specific experiences from a specific time and sounds unlike anything else. From boisterous, static-laced opener “Help In The Head” to propulsive aggressor “Evil Voices” to ambient and layered closer “Damage Control,” the album explores different variations of THE FAINT as a live rock band. Their history as an innovative dance act lingers, years of obsession with crafting a new style for the dance floor seeping into each song, but here and now, the band wanted to make songs that capture the sheer power and collaborative nature of their onstage performances.

The birth of DOOM ABUSE in many ways, is in parallel with a rebirth of the band itself. THE FAINT, started in Omaha in the mid-’90s, have always created against the grain, disinterested in making anything except what their own inspiration drives them to make. Each album since their 1998 debut Media has shifted and evolved that desire. Some albums, like 1999’s Blank-Wave Arcade, came from urgent, short recording processes while others, like 2004’s Wet From Birth, were more carefully constructed.

The Faint’s Upcoming Tour Dates

April 24 – Des Moines, IA @ Wooly’s

April 25 – Madison, WI @ Barrymore Theatre

April 26 – St. Louis, MO @ The Ready Room

April 27 – Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck

April 30 – Tulsa, OK @ The Vanguard

May 1 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater

May 2 – Austin, TX @ The Belmont

May 3 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live – Ballroom

May 6 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ The Culture Room

May 7 – Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues

May 9 – Jacksonville Beach, FL @ Freebird Live

May 10 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade – Heaven

May 13 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero Theatre

May 14 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Willamsburg

May 16 – Boston, MA @ Royale NightClub

May 17 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall

May 19 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

May 20 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club

May 22 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues

May 23 – Chicago, IL @ Metro

May 24 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Café

May 27 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory

May 28 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory

May 30 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune

May 31 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater

June 1 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent

June 2 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent

June 5 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory

June 6 – Los Angeles,, CA @ The Roxy Theatre

June 7 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy Theatre
June 8 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy Theatre

June 11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot

June 12 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre

June 13 – Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium

http://thefaint.com/