The apocalypse comes to South Australia as Adelaide band Attonbitus release their new single 'This Is The Tale Of Muddy Balls', taken from their forthcoming concept album.
Bringing their own twist to the genre of art rock, Attonbitus don their hazmat suits and respirators as they delve into the apocalyptic landscape of SA post-World War Three (WWW3) through the bloodshot eyes of a drug-addled, mutant pharmacist named Muddy Balls.We catch up with band leader Michael Brigante to chat about the new song and forthcoming album as well as share tips and tricks for surviving the end of the world as we know it.
About the new single 'This Is The Tale Of Muddy Balls' – who is Muddy Balls and what's his tale?
Muddy Balls is a post-apocalyptic mutant who before WW3 was a pharmacist working in his lab.
After the bombs dropped he was irradiated, overdoses on the substances he was working on and dies. Fifty years later he comes back to life and now has the ability to sweat out LSD, sneezes scopolamine and drools heroin. He believes that when he overdosed he was set free, so now he wants to set everyone free.
The track is the first from a forthcoming concept album set in a post-apocalyptic world – tell us more about the story of the album?
The universe is set in South Australia, just an hour out from Adelaide. Most cities were completely destroyed from nuclear apocalypse, but fortunately for Adelaide the bomb missed the city. In this universe, Adelaide is overpopulated due to mass migration from other states.
The next single off this album we will be releasing later this year; it is about a character called Kelly and her younger brother Alex. We will tell you that story later this year.
How does the album differ from or build on your 2018 debut album 'David Street'?
Making a concept album has a lot more dialogue; in difference to our last LP, 'David Street, there is a clear story being told. Building on 'David Street', I have taken some reference from our last album; for example, the song 'Flas' has influenced a concept in this new album.
In the post-apocalyptic universe of our next LP, I developed the idea of a new, mutated Australian native flowers called Flas. In the story they are both a potent narcotic and a very effective fuel source. So in short, it is a high-demand product that is often associated with bloodshed.
Are you a fan of post-apocalyptic movies? What are some of your favourites?
I love post-apocalyptic fiction; don’t have one favourite film, but they definitely range from 'Mad Max', 'Tank Girl', '28 Days Later, 'Judge Dredd' (the 2012 re-make) and many more. One, big influence also came from the game 'Fallout'; looking into the 'Fallout' universe I found so much influence in all its dystopian vault stories.
Will COVID-19 bring about an apocalypse? Your thoughts on surviving such a scenario?
I think the only way COVID-19 can become a real existential issue is if it was to mutate into something more aggressive.
At the moment, it's spreading quite fast due to asymptomatic carriers, which is a worry because if it does mutate before we find a vaccine, we be pretty much screwed. I would survive by keeping high sanitation and covering most my body, head to toe, with protective equipment.
Luckily, I live in The Hills so my location is safe if everything was to start collapsing. I would also gather up my community and start to build a colony focusing on protection and agriculture. I will also find a doctor and offer him our community services in exchange for work in screening for anyone infected as well as extended research to continue our search for a vaccine.
Creating a strong and well-trained militia is key, so I would make sure that we are working with corporative people who value building a community and looking out for one another.
What is the meaning/ significance of the name Attonbitus?
Attonitus is a Latin work. It has a variety of meanings; some of them being stunned and or frantic.
I think for most of my life I have always been in this headspace of what to do next, how do I keep myself busy, or forgetting all of that and just enjoying the moments as it comes. Sometimes, when I’m not busy or not enjoying the moment, I start to feel anxious.
Being a monistic materialist the concept of an afterlife is not a real picture you think of. So in that, I will quote a rather jaded philosopher Albert Camus: 'The literal meaning of life is whatever you do that stops you from killing yourself.'
Some other bands and artists you are listening to at the moment?
Fidlar, Radiohead, Primus, The Beatles, Credence Clearwater Revival.
Any plans for interstate touring?
Not as of yet. We are planning to play Bigsound in Brisbane.
What would you like to see Attonbitus achieve as a band in 2020?
Continue to release music and playing festivals.
