Recently I was able to connect with Atlanta post-punk band, CDSM, to discuss their great new single and video for the frenetic “This Is My New Hell.” The track comes from the band’s recently announced LP, Convertible Hearse. In this interview, I asked the band the creative process behind their music and much more.
The lead single “This Is My New Hell” has a really unique, almost cinematic vibe to it. Can you walk us through the creative process behind that track?
This first single, as well as the rest of the songs on the album, were for the most part written and recorded during a two week period in October of 2023. It was an incredibly fruitful time for CDSM. Tyler brought in the synth line that dominates the song and we took turns building on it. It is the only song in our current repertoire where all three lead vocalists are featured. Our producer and synth master Jack had the idea to leave the snare out entirely, which gives it that diabolical pulse. This was the second song we recorded, on the second day of the trip. Whenever we hit a wall we would step out back and shoot cans with a BB gun.
With your eclectic mix of dancey rhythms, synth work, and goth rock melodies, who or what would you say has influenced your sound the most as a band?
Our main influence is each other. We are often trying to make each other laugh or impress each other, and those are the ideas that end up making the cut.
Your band has been described as a “freakout post-punk group.” How do you feel your sound has evolved since the release of Hell Stairs in 2022? How does Convertible Hearse build on or differ from your previous work?
We are definitely still freaking out. Convertible Hearse is currently the most fully realized version of the CDSM you all know and love. It’s sexy, heavy, smoky, and moves with speed and swagger. Hell Stairs took us to many more places than we could have imagined, now we have the proper vessel to take us to the stratosphere.