NOW HEAR THIS is a column dedicated to discovering new and promising local artists from all genres. If you know of an emerging artist we should feature, please let us know via our contact page.
Artist Name: USGS
Who Are They: The intermittent electronica project of Dennis Bowen. USGS functions as an outlet for Bowen’s considerable songwriting talents, especially in the realm of experimental synthetic sounds.
Members
Dennis “Denny” Bowen (ex-Future Islands, Double Dagger), sound engineer at 529, and Atlanta’s favorite hockey aficionado.
Sounds Like: Jagged, otherworldly techno meets EBM syncopation, or as Bowen puts it, “[It] basically just sounds like a car alarm with a Baltimore club beat.” When performing live, USGS takes on an industrial hue, but the studio tracks aren’t quite as grumpy, and the twitchy rhythms are often as playful as they are robotic. Bowen’s stated influences are Facebook ads, but his fragmented sonic forms wouldn’t sound out of place alongside Houndstooth Records artists such as Soft as Snow or even in the Ninja Tune universe.
Releases: Bowen’s newly released self-titled collection is USGS’ only music available online.
Mandatory Listening: The centerpiece of the record, “Maplex” opens with skeletal screeches before a vicious beat kicks in masking some surprising chiptune flourishes. The dark, aquatic friction of the track serves as a foil to the exuberance of cuts like “Citistat” and “Hydrograph” which bubble with an avant curiosity that counters Bowen’s usual cynicism.
More Info
Bandcamp: usgs.bandcamp.com