We chat with Los Angeles-based project Signal Bleach about their excellent new album Worthless Milk, which captivates in its blend of noise, industrial, and punk.
How would you describe your music?
Aggressive live industrial music, like if a computer virus started a punk band.
Can you share the inspiration behind Worthless Milk and the creative process involved in bringing it to life?
Lyrically, our music is inspired by our decaying empire. The sounds were inspired by groups like Youth Code and Death Grips blending live instrumentation and electronic elements on the grid to create driving, powerful statements of discontent.
Walk us through your mindset as you recorded the album.
We developed our sound over two years of experimentation, so once we reached the point we were confident in our abilities it really just clicked into place. Really it was just sharing a collective vision and being uncompromising in delivering on that vision.
Do you use any special recording techniques in the studio?
We typically develop the songs in our practice space similar to how we would perform them live. Once we have the meat and potatoes of the song we record it to the DAW where we can fine tune the electronic elements and make more editorial decisions about the structure of the song. We have a home studio so it’s a lot cheaper when we make massive mistakes. Also no clothes allowed.
How did you get started in music?
We all played in punk and metal bands since we were in high school, which is where we met. We’ve brought our experiences together with our newer and growing inspirations in electronic and industrial music to bring us where we are today.
Serious question: why do you make music?
Besides making our lives whole, and worth living… money, power and fame.
How, when, and where did Signal Bleach get together?
We’ve all known each other for years and collaborated across various projects. Signal Bleach began when we ended our previous band Mountain Tamer to pursue a new sound that wouldn’t really fit with our old material.
What’s the story behind the name Signal Bleach?
The story is there is no story, we came up with 500 band names and this was the best. We like to keep its meaning up to interpretation, but to me a signal bleach would be something that disrupts the system, and cleans away the dirt and debris so it can be rebuilt.
What can you share about your creative process? What inspires you to write?
We’re mostly inspired by current events, politics, and sort of the personal effects of living in the 21st century. So anything like internet paranoia, the rise of AI, or even the Palestinian genocide would be the kinds of topics we’re interested in.
Does anyone in the band have ink? If so, which is your favorite?
Yeah all of us have tattoos. Andrew and Casey are pretty inked up, Dave not so much. Our favorites are: Andrew’s stomach tat inspired by the book, “Do androids dream of electric sheep?”, Casey’s got a “Fell Beast” from Lord of the Rings, and Dave’s “Flipper” band logo stick n poke.
What’s your definition of success?
Besides the obvious money, power and fame, just being happy and healthy. And making real shit.
What’s next for Signal Bleach?
For now, keeping it a buck and constantly writing new music. Looking to drop some singles this summer possibly, but the future’s uncertain and the end is always near.
