By Daniel SylvesterThis week, Black Moth Super Rainbow released Cobra Juicy, the Pittsburgh quintet's first proper full-length since 2009's Eating Us. After scrapping an entire album's worth of material (working title: Psychic Love Damage), Black Moth leader Thomas Fec decided to record Cobra Juicy in his home, without the help of his bandmates or an outside producer.
Talking with Exclaim!, Fec explains, "That album that I created [Psychic Love Damage] was a total Black Moth Super Rainbow album and I didn't want that. With Black Moth, I've always put a lot of pressure on myself to write songs that maybe won't turn people off. [Cobra Juicy] is back to me just having fun with what I do.
"I think people have expectations now for what I do. I feel like I've created my own thing and I feel that people have expectations of what they want to hear."
Releasing Cobra Juicy on a USB "tooth" jammed into a full-size, wearable mask and on ventricular 3D vinyl, Fec looked to an established indie label to help put out the record, saying, "I had these expensive ideas and basically all these labels told me that I was unsignable. When you hear that 30 times, you start to believe it."
Instead Black Moth decided to self-release the record through their own Rad Cult Records imprint and turned to Kickstarter. Via the popular crowd-funding website, Fec attempted to raise $42,000 through pledges, offering donors everything from digital downloads, T-shirts and posters to lifetime guestlist passes and a private roller-skating party. In the end, more than 2,000 people helped raise approximately $125,000. As Fec sums it up, "It showed me that people want what I'm doing. Even if it's not that many, it's enough."
Stay tuned for more of Exclaim!'s Black Moth Super Rainbow interview, and check out the video for Cobra Juicy's lead-off single "Windshield Smasher" below. You can also see all Black Moth Super Rainbow's upcoming U.S. tour dates here.
dude gets fronted $125,000 to play music in his room by fans, still claims "not many" people like it, is able to in his mind somehow still take the high road...
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