hide: flesh for the living

Midwich is proud to present the vinyl debut of Chicago duo HIDE, the artistic collaboration between visual artist Heather Gabel and musician Seth Sher. HIDE creates aggressive and sparse haunting music that empowers as it punishes. HIDE's name and visual aesthetic also reflects their ideology of personal autonomy as performers/humans in a world of moral judgement and surveillance. Showcasing top-notch production values and a seamless visual aesthetic, their immersive sound draws the listener into a trance state with dense, throbbing dirges. Their themes and presentation confront power dynamics and their relation to personal ideas about gender identity/fluidity. HIDE erupted fully-formed in 2015, stupefying unsuspecting audiences into frenzied throngs of spontaneous, orgiastic abandon. HIDE's stark sound and visual presentation evoke distant echoes of industrial dance music, gothic rock and metal, while eschewing cliched trappings of past constraints. Punishing sub-bass, aggressive rhythms, and haunting vocals combine to create an immersive, entrancing sound. Their awe-inspiring presentation quickly garnered them tour support for Marilyn Manson, very soon after forming. Although, HIDE is her first musical project, Gabel is an accomplished visual artist, whose aesthetics mesh seamlessly with the duo's sound and her commanding stage presence exude the mystery and charisma of a seasoned veteran. Sher draws upon his deep studies in percussion and production technique to conjure a dense yet sparse atmosphere, sure to test the limits of most nightclub sound systems. Obscured in darkness, strobe and fog, HIDE will pull you into their world. Following a series of self-released cassettes, Flesh For the Living is HIDE's vinyl debut. This 3-track EP contains 3 soon-to-be anthems. Showcasing top-notch production values, these tracks have a physicality that matches their live show. The title track provides a bracing adrenaline rush that will have listeners on their feet, fists in the air. The remix of that track by Watts (for American Primitive) slows the pace, evoking a cinematic, dreamlike atmosphere. 'Limb From Limb' is a sinister side-long stomper that menaces with ethereal vocals, ghostlike percussion and a gut-wrenching low-end hook. Flesh For the Living was mastered by Ruud Lekx and cut by Josh Bonati at Bonati Mastering in New York. It comes housed in a full-color UV gloss jacket featuring retina-burning artwork by renowned sci-fi illustrator and painter, Mark Salwowski with uniform Midwich layout by Beth Hall.