Strap in for an epic journey with the premier of the nearly 14-minute new track (we hesitate to call it a “single”), “Paired Sentinels,” from Chicago post-punk doomsters Anatomy of a Habit. The lengthy piece is the title track—and one of four songs—on the veteran quintet’s fifth long-player. These gentlemen—Alex Latus (guitar), Isidro Reyes (metal percussion), Skyler Rowe (drums), Mark Solotroff (vocals/analog synth), Sam Wagster (bass/lap steel guitar)—have crafted a doomy, gothic dirge that feels almost meditational. Solotroff’s resonant, baritone vocals are hypnotic over the slow-morphing composition, a sound that seems to reference Joy Division, Fields of Nephilim and early Death Cult. It’s dark, cold and gloomy.
Paired Sentinels was recorded and mixed by Sanford Parker at Palisade Studios and at Hypercube. Mastering was done by Collin Jordan at the Boiler Room. It’s set for release on vinyl, CD, cassette and digitally on July 31. Place your preorder here.
Vocalist Mark Solotroff explained his lyrical approach to the track:
“Writing the title track, ‘Paired Sentinels,’ felt like examining the exact space where a profound connection turns into a heavy, isolating weight. The song deals with the fragile dynamics of mutual observation; two entities standing guard over a relationship or a creative obsession, trying to maintain the smooth surface while the foundation is splintering. Musically and lyrically, it captures that tipping point where your identity begins to fracture and a shared bond quietly transitions into a fantasy of escape. It’s a look at the wreckage left behind when the things that originally elevated you become your greatest source of pain.”
