Where were we? Where are we today? Probably still in some big white tent over in Regent’s park eating that excess of art. Meanwhile the musical in-box is overflowing and play me old king Cole that I may join with you. Step away for a couple of days to look at a painting or two and there’s hundreds of unopened e.mails and things to catch up on (things we’ll probably never catch up on as more and more music pours in and climbs our walls on a daily basis). Clear one mounting mountain of e.mail out and another one even bigger sprouts, never planed for this and not sure any of you are that bothered about these Bon Jovi tour dates that someone has kindly emailed us this morning? If you are then this probably isn’t the right place for you really, if on the other hand the return of Drill For Absentee with what this press release here claims is the first new material since 1998 excites you then whoa, we’re half way there and no one is anywhere near living on any kind of prayer and yes you almost certainly are quite probably maybe in just the right place. 

Actually I thought Drill For Absentee had released something in the last few years? Haven’t we been featuring new material from them on the radio show in recent times? Or was that just classic 90s goodness that was being played on our airwaves? Hang on, let’s grab their facts and separate it from our fiction. Seems that Drill For Absentee reformed in 2021 after a 20-year hiatus, seems like they’ve pretty much picked up where they left off, sounds like they’ve never been away, seems like we can shut our eyes but not out faces. Let’s go climb those walls again and get all this information up on line for tomorrow will surely be too late and no, really, no one ever planned for any of this (we only intended this Organ thing to be a one off zine, that was 1986, seems like neither us or the band intended to be here today). Seems the cult US band or legendary US band or whatever cult legendary underground status they are to be afforded here in 2025? Seems like the rather brilliant US band have a new album (or as they prefer to call it, a double EP) tomorrow. 

Strand of a Lake will combine two recently recorded EPs for a big fat physical release and from what we’re hearing here, they’re on top top form, don’t take our word for it though, just down there you’ll find the whole thing waiting for you to explore, an Organ exclusive or something. And, yes, now the band have planted that seed, it does kind of sound like two EPs and an interesting set of progressions, really really like the almost delicate sound of Skating, and yes, I say they’re sounding pretty much like they were sounding back there, but no. No, this isn’t just a band picking it up again, this sounds like the right place and time, it sounds like now, a new species of nimbus cloud or something like that.      

“Drill For Absentee presents: Strand Of A Lake, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, the first new music in 25 years from the late 90’s emo/math-rock pioneers. Michael Nace and Kevin Kelly teamed up with Okinawa drummer Ken Kuniyoshi and embarked on a fully remote recording odyssey. One song grew to 4 and then 8. Strand of a Lake combines two EP’s (Vol.1 and Vol.2) and makes them into one LP (one EP on each side). Fans of the band from the late 90’s will be happy to hear brand new material from the band and will be pleased that this picks up where the band left off. These are brand new songs, and the first material written with new drummer, Ken Kuniyoshi from Okinawa Japan. The nineties were undoubtedly one of math rock’s most infinitely giving eras, with so many twists and turns that kids today are finding out about bands like Drill for Absentee for the first time, despite the band dropping some serious heat just before the turn of the century. Whether you’re an old head or a new Drill for Absentee fan, it’s time to rejoice, and celebrate some brand new songs from them, they sound incredible, and like they never stopped playing” so proclaims their Bandcamp page, here it is in full…

Strand of a Lake, Volume 1 was written and recorded from July 2021 through August 2022 in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Okinawa. Volume 2 was written and recorded from August 2022 through March 2025. Says here Volume 1 was released digitally on September 13, 2022, there you go, thought some of this wasn’t entirely new, some of this has featured on the Other Rock Show during this latest decade of this century. Volumes 1 and 2 are now to be released together on vinyl on October 24th, 2025 by Expert Work Records. 

This feels like a band trying to find a new space though, a little more than yet another band from back there trying to re-awake what they long since lost. Some of this is rather unexpected in the best of ways. They are still the pinpoint band, they still have that slintiness or flintiness, but there, that bit, that bit right there, they wouldn’t have done that back there, that bit there where they’re rearrange the furniture while considering black holes     

Hang on, there’s a proper press release here…

“Staying true to their origins, the trio revisits the conceptual and musical foundations that first distinguished them in the underground scene. The unmistakable DFA alchemy that turns calculated chaos, lyrical darkness, and raw poetry into riveting musical journeys is sure to capture the attention of both longtime fans, and a younger generation exploring underground music history. As guitarist and vocalist Michael Nace states; 

‘Our new sound includes the foundations of our post-hardcore roots, together with all of the new and eclectic music influences that we’ve picked up over the past 25 years.’ 

Bassist and vocalist Kevin Kelly adds; ‘We’ve taken on so many disparate musical influences over the years, and participated in a wide range of musical projects. Our new sound was bound to reflect that, but at its core this band is still very much the same project we started decades ago. It still sounds like Drill for Absentee.’

The band’s re-emergence began unexpectedly when Michael discovered YouTube’s evolving ‘math rock’ scene – far removed from DFA’s 1990s ethos – inspiring him to revisit old guitar parts. This creative spark led to Hums, a track echoing the band’s signature complexity, and a transcontinental collaboration with Kevin (now living in Los Angeles) and new drummer Ken Kuniyoshi (Okinawa, Japan), recruited after his virtuosic covers of 90s post-hardcore gems caught Nace’s ear. 

‘That’s how it started,’ remembers Ken. ‘First with Mike and I exchanging isolated tracks and overdubbing and Kevin joining on bass, which became the reincarnation of Drill For Absentee’. Michael says that distance has forced them to reinvent how the music takes shape. ‘Our creative process in the 1990s was much more conventional, with the band getting together a few times per week to develop new musical ideas and perfect our set list. With these new songs, the fact that we live in three different places has completely changed the way that we collaborate on new music.’ Defying geographic barriers, the band crafts music remotely: trading tracks digitally, refining mixes across time zones, and preserving their darkly poetic aesthetic. As Kuniyoshi reflects: ‘Being oceans apart didn’t stop the creative process, and we set ourselves apart from others as an international band.’

The band chose to call their upcoming release a “double EP” to reflect the stylistic evolution their new collaboration has taken: Volume 1’s four tracks deliver a visceral homage to their 90s math-rock roots – angular, tense, and dripping with the post-hardcore intensity that first defined them; Volume 2 reveals an ambitious and exhilarating pivot, exploring complex rhythms and expansive textures that demonstrate the band’s 25-year musical journey. ‘I think the remote recording process has a lot to do with this new sound,’ says Kevin. ‘Passing tracks back and forth and recording in our own spaces allowed plenty of room for experimentation, which led us in some unexpected directions.’ As Ken puts it, ‘We sound like a different band on each side – Vol 1 sounds like a continuation of Drill For Absentee from the 90’s, and Vol 2 has a progressive-rock feel which was a very pleasant surprise for me as this was an unexpected direction after finishing recording Vol 1.’

The 8 new songs of ‘Strand of a Lake” represent both a homecoming and a reinvention, blending DFA’s foundational aggression with a mature eclecticism – all unified by the band members’ masterful interplay that elevates every composition. As Michael describes, ‘We’re time travellers. These songs honour our 90s selves while embracing the freedom of now’.

Instagram / Bandcamp / Expert Work Records