The Gonzo Cyberpunk Of CANDY WHIPS Proclaim “The Children Have Been Synthesized” On New Single
“You can hear elements of Trevor Horn, Oingo Boingo, Wall of Voodoo, and Sparks as well. Candy Whips is as challenging as it is danceable… wrapped up in gossamer, glam and glee.” – Post-Punk
The Synth-Drenched Gonzo Cyberpunk of
CANDY WHIPS
Proclaim
“At Last, The Children Have Been Synthesized”
with New Single
Video Portrays Sock Puppets Sometimes Doing Untoward Things
Out Now via Kitten Robot
JUNE 7, 2023 (Oakland, CA) — “This song started with the hook,” explains Wendy Stonehenge of Oakland, CA-based glam synth band CANDY WHIPS. “Usually when I start a song this way, it either falls right into place or I end up beating my head against the wall trying to come up with a song that works with the hook.” Luckily for Stonehenge, his head remained unbruised and the song that arose from the hook, the gloriously sticky “A.L.T.C.H.B.S.,” not only fell right into place, but also fell right into the A-side of their brand new single and video via Kitten Robot Records.
In its un-abbreviated form, “At Last, The Children Have Been Synthesized” carries the oontz-oontz of Devo and combines it with the soaring vocals that’s one part Marc Almond, two parts Midge Ure. An unabashed synthpop single that draws upon New Wave’s airy spaciness and modern retro-futuristic production values, “A.L.T.C.H.B.S.” captures the perfect synergy of man with machine. Stonehenge admits, “I was able to write and record the main parts in a single afternoon, but it was the addition of [longtime collaborator] Arthur Tea‘s guitars that really brought this song to life.”
No less mind-expanding, its accompanying sock and hand puppet-populated, pleasure and pain-drenched video merges the neon-saturated atmospherics with an underlying sense of danger, thanks to a thinly-veiled threat imposed upon the director, Mirthquake Jackson (who incidentally mixed the single and its b-side). “Fear, truth, and a hellish hyper-vigilance were my only inspiration,” says Jackson, under a state of duress. “That and Mr. Candy Whips threatened to leak our sex tape if I didn’t make him a music video featuring his collection of various ‘masturbation socks.”
Soiled foot covering aside, Candy Whips coupled its A-side with an epic and celestial synth adventure in B-side “Crippled Angel.” Amid textural washes that’d make Ultravox blush and thundering drum programming by Greg Downing, a synthesized horn unspools a melodic thread to leads you into a gloriously hypnotic, trance anthem. It’s a classic synth throwback that’s the perfect showdown to the pop battle that “A.L.T.C.H.B.S.” wages.
A member of celebrated Northern California glam-rock band Glitter Wizard whose prospects of playing live shows were dashed when the Pandemic’s Dark Days dawned, Stonehenge holed up in his home studio and transported Kraftwerk’s roborock to Oakland, fusing punk, electronic and synthpop to pass the time. What emerged was his synth-drenched fever dream that delivered ‘80s Devo-fied New Wave into Modern Times. The critically-hailed gonzo cyberpunk of his 2021’s debut Automaton began his ascent into synthpop majesty. “A.L.T.C.H.B.S.” locks it into place.
Candy Whips is Wendy Stonehenge with help from Arthur Tea (guitars) and extra drum programming on “Crippled Angel” by Greg Downing. “A.L.T.C.H.B.S.” b/w “Crippled Angel” is available now on all DSPs including Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Pandora, and Amazon via Kitten Robot.
- A.L.T.C.H.B.S.
- Crippled Angel
