Lorelle Meets The Obsolete

Lorelle Meets The Obsolete share new single Control, taken from their forthcoming album Corporal.

‘Control’ is the second single from the new Lorelle Meets The Obsolete album Corporal, which is released on October 10.

Mixed by Antoine Goulet (live sound engineer for SUUNS) and mastered by Mikey Young (Eddy Current Suppression Ring), it’s the Mexican duo’s finest, most ferocious work to date, turbo-charging their psychedelic post-punk with a new electronic engine.

The new material shows the influence of the duo’s DJ sets in their hometown of Ensenada, as well as last year’s radical Remezcla remix collection, on their way of thinking and explains why they are now namechecking Moor Mother, MF DOOM, Patrick Cowley, The Bug, Paula Garcés, Phil Kieran, Coby Sey, Run the Jewels and Anadol.

“Playing other artists’ music is different,”

says the band’s Lorena Quintanilla about their new dancefloor direction.

“You’re not just listening, you’re watching how energy flows and how it affects other people. It gives you the chance to witness what moves other bodies.”

And Corporal, as the title suggests, is all about the body.

“The body is what carries the weight of stress, exhaustion, sadness. It’s the body that the system breaks first, Unintentionally, while composing the album, our bodies were seeking joy in the songs. Reconnecting with pleasure became a way to open new dimensions – a way to escape, yet remain present.”

explains Lorena.

The theme is carried over into the lyrics which, according to Lorena, variously refer to “the bodies that disappear, the abused bodies, the bodies we miss, the bodies that march together in protest, the bodies that are being controlled”. The line between personal and political gets blurred because the body itself has become so deeply politicised.

The loping groove of ‘Ker’ is about the ongoing struggle for women to reclaim sovereignty over their own bodies; ‘Dilación’ is “a farewell song for those who can no longer remain with us”; the expansive ‘Casi no estar’ is about the ever-increasing number of disappearances and femicides currently prevailing in Mexico.

“It focuses on the emotional experience of those of us who are still here, but living in a state of ‘almost not being’, which is what the title translates to, It speaks to the ever-present fear that we or our loved ones could be next, and to the national mourning in which we are collectively submerged.”

says Lorena.

‘Palabra’ (‘word’) explores the relationship between language and silence and ‘Reanimar el cuerpo’ (‘reanimate the body’) is inspired by Italian Marxist philosopher Franco Berardi’s idea of poetry as a hidden resource that allows us to shift from one paradigm to another.

Previous single ‘Regresar / Recordar’ – which was also remixed over the summer by Jagz Kooner – is

“a reminder of the feeling of collective victory, because we’re tired of losing or losing ourselves”

Strangely, for such a laser-focused record, Corporal almost didn’t happen at all. At the end of 2023, disillusioned and broke after another trek around the world promoting Datura, and with no idea how to move forward, they decided to give up. To get over the grief of letting go they turned to music and made some new recordings.

“We had no goal in mind, It was a way to lift each other up, to reconnect through this language we’ve shared for half our lives.”

says Lorena.

When it became clear that they had actually made an album, they thought about starting over, or changing their name, but then after a few months away and a soul-restoring return to live performances last August, they realised it wasn’t an ending after all. Seven albums in, this was a whole new beginning for Lorelle Meets The Obsolete.

“We try not to look back too much, because often when we do, we feel disconnected from what we’ve done musically in the past – it feels like staring into the abyss. We prefer to focus on the present and approach each album as if it were our first.”

concludes Alberto.

In which case, Lorelle Meets The Obsolete have got off to a great start with Corporal. It really is an incredible body of work.

Live dates in Mexico

September 26 – Tijuana – Black Box

September 27 – Ensenada – La Camorra

October 3 – San Luis Potosí – Jardin LFO

October 4 – Irapuato – TBC

October 10 – Guadalajara – Afasia

October 11 – CDMX – TBC

October 12 – Teoloyucan – Forest Psych Fest

Further shows will be announced soon.

Corporal is available to pre-order now digitally and on two vinyl variants – neon orange and limited-edition neon magenta exclusive to Rough Trade and Bandcamp. There is also a CD version which includes the remix of ‘Regresar / Recordar’ by Jagz Kooner.