{"product_id":"popular-music-against-men","title":"Popular Music - Against Men","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePopular Music\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e — the Melbourne-based synth-pop duo of former \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eParenthetical Girls\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e leader \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eZac Pennington\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and composer \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePrudence Rees-Lee\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e — are pleased to release their album \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAgainst Men\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e in an ultra-limited Vinyl Edition through It Records.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe album’s title is a playful yet pointed provocation — sardonic shorthand for the everyday betrayals, minor tragedies, and persistent disappointments of the unfair sex. Self-produced and recorded at MESS (Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio), the group drew on the studio’s collection of electronic instruments, evoking the tones and textures of hauntological pioneers like \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJoe Meek\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDaphne Oram\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDelia Derbyshire\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, alongside the post-punk experimentations of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHuman League\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOrchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. The result is a leaner, intimate approach, following their acclaimed 2023 album, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMinor Works\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThroughout \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAgainst Men\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, Popular Music blends classic pop structures with avant-garde ambition, crafting narrative-driven short stories that feel timeless and immediate.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThere’s the glam-rock shuffle of “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePassover\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e,” whose \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eT.Rex\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e swagger belies a subtle indictment: “For there are no good men\/And I’m no exception.” Elsewhere, songs function as portraits — “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCrying\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e,” a synth-ballad where nostalgia becomes performance (“Those waterworks still flow \/ But now it’s just for show”), while “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEmily Says\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e” echoes \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLou Reed\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e empathetic character studies with a tale of a woman exhausted by the cruelties of self described feminist men (“When surely everybody knows \/ Those wolves are wearing women’s clothes”). In “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDesert Motel #1\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e,” romantic disintegration unfolds with Cohen-esque grace and devastation, while the obsessions of “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBlack Shroud\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e” cast a hypnotically shadow over the album.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAgainst Men\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e moves toward its apex with “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eProvidence St.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e,” a melancholic meditation elevated by composer \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJherek Bischoff\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e’s string arrangements, and the closer “\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Last Night of Our Lives\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e,” an eight-minute elegy steeped in romantic fatalism and ironic resilience: “Well-read and welfare-bred and more dead than alive \/ well, nevermind.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"It Records","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl LP","offer_id":59937933853017,"sku":"SDZ-54753","price":37.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0588\/3455\/0945\/files\/369_20261012_1115_102800_029_p_download_20261012101757_1_008.jpg?v=1792154902","url":"https:\/\/spindizzyrecords.com\/products\/popular-music-against-men","provider":"Spindizzy Dublin","version":"1.0","type":"link"}