Cinema Cinema

CINEMA CINEMA returns, this time with polymath percussionist Thor Harris (Swans, Angels of Light, Shearwater) in tow, to release their seventh full length, “Mjolnir”. Recorded at historic BC Studio in Brooklyn, NY with legendary noise producer Martin Bisi (Sonic Youth, John Zorn, Boredoms). The album will be released July 28 as a red 12” vinyl LP, digital download and via streaming platforms by Nefarious Industries.

Inviting multi-instrumentalist Harris into the fold inspires new direction for the ensemble. Exploring his creative repertoire, Thor makes use of BC’s synth collection along with an assortment of drums and arcane percussion pieces to leave his fingerprints on the proceedings. The trio submerge themselves in the strange beauty of chaotic sound, captured inside BC’s cavernous recording space. Tracked just before the pandemic, Bisi spent time cultivating the sessions in the months that followed, helping shape one of the band’s most expressive records to date. This marking the third time that CINEMA CINEMA and Martin have worked together (2014’s A Night at The Fights and 2017’s Man Bites Dog), the familiarity breeds wild results.

CINEMA CINEMA was established in 2008 by Brooklyn-born cousins, vocalist/guitarist Ev Gold and drummer Paul Claro. They’ve been described as “experi-metal punks” by the Village Voice, a “jolt of adrenaline” by BrooklynVegan, and “feral and unrelenting” by Big Takeover.

Touring extensively through the past 15 years, CINEMA CINEMA has performed over 475 shows across 11 countries. Multiple treks alongside SST Records founder Greg Ginn, including a 45-date North American tour opening for Black Flag in 2014, select dates supporting Black Flag in 2013, and shared dates in 2010, 2011, and 2012 with Ginn’s other outfits: The Royal We and The Taylor Texas Corrugators. In addition, the band has half a dozen European tours to their credit, including a 2013 stint in support of Martin Bisi Band.

CINEMA CINEMA appeared in and contributed music to the critically acclaimed 2014 documentary Sound and Chaos: The Story of BC Studio. The band was also included on BC35, a celebration of the 35th anniversary of BC Studio – alongside members of Swans, Sonic Youth, Alice Donut and other studio alumni; released via Bronson Recordings in 2018.

CINEMA CINEMA has also worked with acclaimed D.C. recordist Don Zientara (Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Fugazi). 2011’s Shoot the Freak EP and 2012’s full length, Manic Children and The Slow Aggression were both helmed by Zientara at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, VA. Don also oversaw the session for “U.S. North”, the band’s contribution to Crooked Beat Records 2018 Record Store Day release.

In 2019, the duo joined with Nefarious Industries to release their fifth album, CCXMD. Described as “no-holds-barred punk-jazz” by Brooklyn Rail and “as intelligent as it is unintelligible” by Invisible Oranges, it saw the band take a stylistic left turn from any previously recorded output. CINEMA CINEMA invited reed aficionado Matt Darriau – best known for his work with Grammy award-winning world-music ensemble The Klezmatics – to join the group for the collaborative, entirely improvised affair.

Following in 2021, CINEMA CINEMA would continue the experiment delving into ambient and atmospheric territories, releasing CCXMDII. Culled from the sessions that yielded CCXMD, this collection of material would serve as companion to the 2019 release and conclusion, for now, of the band’s foray into free-jazz territory.