Hand\u00a0Model\u00a0is the solo project of\u00a0Ignat Frege, one half of the experimental metal band\u00a0Wreck and Reference. In\u00a0Wreck and Reference, Frege contributed production, acoustic drums, and vocals to their warped and noisy soundscapes. The last decade saw seven releases from the band and collaborations with diverse artists such as How To Dress Well, La Dispute, and fine art photographer Wolfgang Tillmans, including a performance during his multimedia installation at the Tate Modern Museum in London.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Manufactured<\/a> Joy<\/a>\u2019\u00a0(self released, 2020) was Frege\u2019s debut release as\u00a0Hand\u00a0Model. The album took the electronic elements of\u00a0Wreck and Reference\u00a0and combined them with genres such as pop and house, pushing the instrumentals into a \u201ckinda maximalist<\/em>\u201d frame.\u00a0 With the edge of Frege\u2019s irreverent long form lyrics,\u00a0\u2018Manufactured Joy\u2019 weighs the importance of politics, art, and the environment against the backdrop of the troughs, peaks, and uncertainties of human existence. The digitized guitars, sampled YouTube home demolitions, and continuous vocal delivery imbue the tracks with a stream of consciousness, leaving the listener only to question what for them could possibly come next.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018The Thinking Monster\u2019\u00a0(The Flenser, 2021)\u00a0is Frege’s new collaboration with the producer WTCHCRFT.<\/strong> The two tracks exhibit heavy beats over droning samples, contrasting with the maximalist instrumentation of\u00a0\u2018Manufactured Joy\u2019. The enduring vocal delivery describes a poisonous modernization and the terrors of an environmental conclusion, whose possibilities edge at endlessly terrifying as we continue to look for pleasure in every last bit of light.\u00a0You can watch the music video, directed by Frege alongside\u00a0Nathan Burger<\/a>, for the Third Planet<\/em> video via YouTube\u00a0(or listen via\u00a0Bandcamp<\/a>).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n