Analog Adventures: Careless

Drab Majesty

Careless

(2017)

About the Artist

Drab Majesty is a project by Deb Demure to explore 1980s aesthetics. The artist employs distinct costumes, make-up, and props such as Greek busts in all music videos and live performances. The music videos feel as if they really did play on MTV in their heyday. All videos have a distinct appearance of age, VHS artifacts and scan lines appear to give the impression that these were recorded by a fan off of a CRT television. The choice to do so works and the immersion is better due to it.

Currently time travel is not in the realm of possibility for humanity. But this does not stop Drab Majesty from perfectly bringing back the sound of 80s synth-pop. Careless fits in with Depeche Mode or the Cure’s discographies, channeling their distinct brand of dark pop music. The synthesizers are spacey, the guitars jangle, the drums reverberate, and the vocals linger in every track. Every track sounds as if it were recorded off of the radio on a tape deck. The music is at home on a Walkman as much as it is on a Spotify playlist.

The Album Itself

The art and presentation of the album are immaculate. Nostalgia often comes across as insincere and lazy, yet everything about this record is authentic. The care that goes into each track is obvious, nothing feeling out of place. Every vocal harmony, every snare hit, everything is put together meticulously like a pocket watch. The orderly fashion in which the music is written is in direct contrast with this particular editions vinyl finish. The splatter finish is like a stained glass collage. The album contains a beautiful poster that is just as ethereal and haunting as the rest of the record.

The splatter finish and back cover. 

Is It Worth It?

There are several editions of this record. The differences are in the color of the record itself. This particular version has only 100 copies. I was lucky enough to find this at a local record store for $60. Currently it is available on online retailers such as Discogs for an average of $70. If you do not want to spend that on a limited edition, the other versions of the record are just as beautiful and far less expensive. I would recommend this to any fan of 1980s synth-pop.

The included poster

Outstanding Tracks

• The Foyer
• Entrance and Exits
• The Heiress