“I’ve never abandoned the concept that a live band can turn out a hot dance party,” says Blake Miller of Los Angeles-based dance rock band MOVING UNITS. “It’s about conveying that energy and allowing people to have a visceral and euphoric connection.” With their new adrenaline-fueled fourth album DAMAGE WITH CARE which will be released via Metropolis Records on April 8, 2016, the dance party that Moving Units are planning ups the ante of their previous releases with even more unadulterated grooves and constant motion. In other words, it’s a nonstop sweaty blur of a record.
The opening track “Hyatt Girls” kicks off the album with their trademark paranoid rock bounce that echoes New Wave’s heyday while anchoring them heavily in the artsy indie dance pop that they helped pioneer. From the propulsive and midnight dance feel of “I Don’t Care” to the driving beat and anxious rhythms of “Going Out” to the atmospheric swirl of “House of Dolls,” Damage With Care is the perfect soundtrack for channeling urgent impulses and anxious adventures on a post punk millennial dance floor. The free download single “Opposite of Rhyming” premiered earlier this week on PopMatters who called it a “supercharged banger… that crackles with excitement and energy.”
Listen to “Opposite of Rhyming” on PopMatters: http://www.popmatters.com/post/moving-units-opposite-of-rhyming-audio-premiere/
The song is also available as a FREE DOWNLOAD on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/movingunits/opposite-of-rhyming
One of Moving Units’ most identifying qualities has been their frenetic live shows which the band are planning and a national tour will be announced in the coming weeks. “It’s so primitive and organic,” he explains. “I also think kids are attracted to the rebellious attitude and open-minded atmosphere our music cultivates. We’re having fun riffing on fundamental concepts innovated by our favorite rock and roll, punk and dance music. And I think our fans respond to that sort of authenticity and humility. I believe music is bigger than the musician. It has a life of its own. And music fans love to share music, so it doesn’t surprise me to see new faces at our shows. It’s rad!”
Releasing their self-titled debut in 2002, Moving Units exploded out of Los Angeles, fusing dance music and indie rock in a unique style that fused them within the burgeoning scene that included The Rapture, The Faint, Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party . “Back then, no one danced at shows in LA. People were trying to play it cool,” Miller says.” We wanted to shake things up and make people boogie.”
Flashforward to 2016, the LA music scene has evolved and practically inverted. “LA has changed radically,” Miller explains. “The indie music scene was a tiny bubble in 2002. Not a lot of variety and certainly not a lot of hype. The exact opposite has occurred here since then. Obviously LA has emerged as a new mecca of American youth culture. Music, fashion, cinema and art are all mediums blowing up in this city and influencing the global scene. LA is everything you dream a city could be and everything you dread a city can become. LA don’t play, so love it or leave it; that’s what I say”.
Armed with a new album and a tour still in the planning, Moving Units may have updated their sound to include 2016 sensibilities but their mission remains the same. “Blow minds with the new album. Tour constantly, anywhere and everywhere. Celebrate life. Repeat!” With the first part of the mission done, it’s just a matter of time for rest gets accomplished.