LISTEN: Brooklyn’s New Industrial Kings Cover A UK Jangle Pop Classic

Check out the exclusive premiere of Collapsing Scenery’s cinematic rendition of the Cleaners From Venus fan fave “Drowning Butterflies” this morning on the site

August 24, 2021August 24, 2021 Ron Hart 0 Comments Alan Vega, Amazing Baby, Collapsing Scenery, Don De Vore, Ink & Dagger, Lilys, Michael Gira, Reggie Debris., The Blue Nile, The Cleaners From Venus, The Icarus Line

The unsung sound of New York industrial rock is alive and well in the form of Collapsing Scenery, the duo of Don De Vore (Ink & Dagger, Lilys, The Icarus Line, Amazing Baby) and Reggie Debris.

Indeed, the throbbing rhythmic gristle of such homeland heroes as Alan Vega and Michael Gira stands strong in the spirit of the Brooklyn duo’s recorded output these last six years. But as songs like “New World Borders” and “The Blue and the Black” from their 2019 debut LP Stress Positions illustrate, Collapsing Scenery also possesses a mighty grasp on pop songwriting as well, echoing the likes of Wolfgang Press or the Human League in some regards just as commandingly. BTW, they are also funky enough to merit collaborations with acts as varied as Ninjaman, Money Mark and James Chance.

The Downtown Lights/Drowning Butterflies by Collapsing Scenery (Image: Twitter)

One primary influence the group proudly wears out in public, however, is the artistry of English cassette culture pop kings The Cleaners From Venus, a band who should be talked about a lot more than they are here in the States, especially amongst jangle pop fans. Which is why it is such a special honor for Rock & Roll Globe to premiere Collapsing Scenery’s spirited, widescreen cover of “Drowning Butterflies” from the Cleaners’ 1984 classic Under Wartime Conditions this morning on the site. On the single’s flipside is an equally imaginative cover of The Blue Nile’s “The Downtown Lights” off the Scottish group’s 1989 masterpiece Hats.

“’Drowning Butterflies’ is my favorite song by Martin Newell, who is among my favorite songwriters,” De Vore tells the Globe. “It’s a perfect illustration of how to make political music through personal lyrics. The storytelling is flawless. The sense of resignation and exhaustion in the lyric is belied by the gorgeous, aching melody and production. It’s a masterpiece. I hope we did it justice.”

For more information on Collapsing Scenery, visit them over at their well-designed website.