Sweet Defeat

The sexed-up death disco of Brooklyn, NY's The Flesh explodes like Timbaland, The Birthday Party, and Serge Gainsbourg forming a band at the dawn of the apocalypse: bouncing hip-hop beats bashed out on live drums, taut bass lines, and horror flick synthesizers pulse against a lyrical world of ill-fated love and biblical violence.

The Flesh formed during 2001 and quickly earned a reputation for gyrating, dramatic live shows that would do both Prince and Iggy proud. Following a UK tour and the celebrated Death Connection debut single in 2003, a live set sparked the interest of acclaimed NYC producer Martin Bisi (Sonic Youth, Iggy Pop, Brian Eno), and the "Sweet Defeat" EP was born.

On the title track, skittering R&B verses coil around thumping choruses as Gabriella Zappia's voice joins with Nathan Halpern's in a subversive pop paean to love-as-sadomasochism. "Night Loop" is a soul anthem for sci-fi dance floors, sinister and jubilant, while the tense beat of "Cuts" suggests the Southern hip-hop of Juvenile on a death trip with The Birthday Party. Cuts' "Empty Temple Remix" is the brainchild of Sanchez Esquire of The Fever, and offers an even darker version of the song. As Filter said, "Dirty, sexy, sinister...truly stunning!"