On Body Horror (out now via No Movement Records), We Are Parasols meld new-wave synths, thundering industrial percussion, and a sly sense of humor into an eminently engaging slab of static-drenched noise pop. The breathy, sneer-sung vocals of D. Wood wind through a sonic landscape of cracking static and the hiss of rotting electronics. Rumbling sub-bass and chainsaw leads strut and swagger over a foundation of dark pop melody. The brutally beautiful chaos of Body Horror, the sonic contradictions and extremes, are as deeply expressive as the tales the lyrics tell.

Writer/producer/multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Wilkins of We Are Parasols says of the album, “The Body Horror album was inspired by films in the body horror sub-genre of horror from the 1970s to today, as well as literature and other art that directly confronts the psychological and physical discomforts of being a human being. Since completing the album we have become very interested in the fervor and debate surrounding AI and its potential effects on art, politics, and even human existence as we know it. Using AI, or as we think of it, collaborating with AI technology to make art is one of our ways to directly confront what we see as the greatest body horror of all – the replacement or relegation of humans and the human body.”

Today, the band dropped the video for the single “My Heart Is All Blurred,” Wilkins said, “For us the music video is neither pro or anti AI. We have attempted to use AI, combined with real footage, to explore how the existence of this new technology feeds into humanity’s greatest anxieties and horror of being replaced. We are recognizing that this technology has been created and will continue to exist whether we like it or not. So, what are we going to do with it? How are we going to use it? Are we going to incorporate it into our reality or let it take over? While we understand that to some making this video might tread into a murky ethical area, and to be honest, much of the AI imagery in the video causes us anxiety, we sincerely believe that all art and culture is complex and exists in a murky grey area and that it’s somewhat dishonest to oversimplify, not just the art, but the tools used to make the art as inherently good or bad.”

Written bi-coastally via the magic of file sharing, the trio pieced Body Horror together like an intricate puzzle. Each member comes up with ideas – loops or sounds or melodies – and shares them with the team. If there is consensus, the group then builds off of that foundation. The album was recorded at home studios, with Yeager handling programming and the remainder taking place at the home Wilkins and Wood share in Portland. In addition to the core trio, the record features guest vocals from Moriah West of Xiblingon “Fully Automated Luxury Communism”. West also co-wrote the song. Adam Gonsalves from Telegraph Mastering mastered the record.

Body Horror represents an important evolution in the work of We Are Parasols. Underpinning the deep bass, industrial beats, and pop vocal melodies are deeply personal vignettes that speak to the universal experience of being human. “This album is about the contradictions and confusion of modern life” says Wilkins. “We explore themes that I think everyone can identify with… but we don’t have any answers. I think if anything, we’re declaring with absolute certainty that we’re lost. We can all at least be lost together, and I take some solace in that.”