The twisted trio that is Primus lives up to its colorful reputation with their new ATO Records release, The Desaturating Seven. Comprised of Les Claypool, Larry LaLonde and Tim Alexandre, this will be Primus’ 9th studio album and will be released Sept. 29.
The Desaturating Seven continues Primus’ tradition of drawing inspiration from children’s stories, succeeding their 2014 album, Primus & the Chocolate Factory. Les Claypool shares that the inspiration for their new album was a bedtime story that he used to read to his kids: “Many years ago when my children were little kidlets scurrying around the place wreaking havoc and whatnot till it was time for bed and book time, my wife turned them on to a book called The Rainbow Goblins by Ul De Rico. The dark imagery and beauty of the art struck me immediately and I thought, ‘this would make good fodder for a piece of music.’”
Although based on children’s literature, the album is full of dark, social criticisms, as heard in the album’s first single, “The Seven.” The story tells of seven gluttonous goblins with a “wretched thirst” that steal all color from the world. “With the grandeur of the world, they abuse and defile it,” an allusion to a society neglecting and abusing its environment solely on the basis of greed. “They’re going to prowl and prey ’til the world is dark and grey,” the lyrics resume, expressing the concern that, unless preventative actions are taken, the future is grim.
Claypool said, “The use of color and darkness both in the paintings and the writing was compelling, and now, nearly two decades later, the metaphor of greed, gluttony and deceit versus the unity of the masses is eerily relevant. I brought the notion to the Primus guys and they were all for it. Plus, I figured it’s about time someone brought ‘Goblin Rock’ back to the fold.”
The Desaturating Seven will be shipped to radio stations September 18th, and is currently available for pre-sale purchase on the band’s website, as well as on iTunes. For those who want the full Primus experience, Fall tour dates have been announced and are on sale.