Orlando electro-metal duo TTN kicked off 2022 with the release of their newest album, the self-titled TTN. It seems in many ways a reboot for the duo of Ben Ryder (beats, vocals) and Benjamin Gregory (guitars), redefining themselves musically and aesthetically.
Released on their new collective imprint, Xylene Records — run in tandem with musical comrades OhTwo — the album is a reintroduction to TTN through their most accomplished songs to date.
The songs that make up TTN — “40 minutes of music compressed into 19” says Gregory of the album’s length — were written during grueling brainstorming sessions in a storage unit with no air conditioning. The recording sessions then stretched out over a year, with OhTwo beatmaker Byson once again in the producer’s chair — at this point, he’s almost a third member of the band.
“Overall, we tried to make the most dystopian and maximalist album we possibly could. Influenced by the pandemic, pervasive surveillance capitalism, climate change, and the general breakdown of American society. It’s a reaction against the trend of minimalism and introspection in underground music” says Gregory.
TTN is a more visceral and dense album than previous recorded work — Gregory points out the multiple percussion tracks layered on each song “live drums, programmed drums and built/found objects” — and the increased focus on Ryder’s vocals are welcome.
All in all, since it is Bandcamp Friday, consider giving TTN a download.
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This article appears in Jan 12-18, 2022.