Clad in a leather jacket adorned with patches and spikes, a young man wanders the streets at night on a quest initiated by a series of mysterious letters. The first, scrawled in large black letters, urges him to ‘PLEASE HELP,’ adding ‘THEY ARE EVIL’ as a gentle but enigmatic reminder.
Suddenly he appears in a dark candlelit room, his face barely visible through the shadows. He takes a seat beside several flickering candles and a vase filled with roses. After staring at you for a moment, he shares a message. His name is Parker Lautenschlager, but you may refer to him as Profit Prison.
The name sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Perhaps from a few seconds ago when it was painted in red (candle wax? blood?) on the wall in front of you. Or maybe from the cassette your friend shared with you a couple of years back. Either way, you’re in his world now and a new transmission has arrived.
After introducing the world to his dystopian brand of synthpop with Myra, the captivating 2017 debut released through Hospital Productions, the Seattle-based artist returns with his first full-length, Six Strange Passions, on Italian powerhouse Avant! Records.
Artwork by Italian noise legend Matteo Castro (Lettera 22, Kam Hassah, Second Sleep label)
Building upon the minimal synth structure established in his debut and criminally overlooked sophomore release Cost of Living, Lautenschlager pushes his sound to the next level on the aptly titled six-song album. Equal parts synthpop, Hi-NRG, and Italo disco, Profit Prison takes the familiar sounds of the past and makes them just a little bit stranger.
Experience “A Strange Situation” for yourself:
And get your copy of Profit Prison’s 12″ vinyl debut, Six Strange Passions, from Avant! Records here.
