SO, DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN HAVE LEFT RELAPSE

This interesting bit of news trickled down the Interwebs grapevine yesterday. Seems DEP’s contract with Relapse has ended, and the band will release their next record on Season of Mist in collaboration with their own Phonogetic Records.

Zuh?

While I’m sure Relapse are pretty bummed DEP chose not to re-up and Season of Mist — whose current roster includes Cynic and several other really good bands with a high level of artistic integrity — must be beyond stoked, at this stage in DEP’s career I believe it ultimately matters not what record label is printed on the back of their CD packaging. DEP has a dedicated core following that will buy their records and go to their shows no matter what, so it’d take a colossal fuck-up for any record label to blow a DEP release.

It is peculiar, though, that DEP wouldn’t choose to sign with a larger label — and I’m sure there would be plenty of label interest there — one that might be able to elevate their presence to the next level, or at least re-up with Relapse. Relapse did a fantastic job on the Ireworks album cycle, getting the band massive exposure online, on MTV, and even the band’s first live TV appearance on Conan O’Brien. Things are on the up-and-up for Dillinger. Season of Mist, based primarily in Europe, seems less well-equipped to spend the kind of money necessary to keep the band on this upward trajectory. But perhaps DEP are now at the point where they can create their own upward trajectory by continuing to write innovative and thought-provoking music.

In short: this is a bizarre business decision, and I’m curious to see how it’ll pan out for the band. No matter what the record label the band is on, we anxiously await new DEP music, despite how President Obama might feel about the matter.

-VN