Information Society asks, 'Would You Like Me If I Played a Guitar?'

With their eighth album, “ODDfellows,” racking up stellar reviews across the board, sythpop legends Information Society continue to break ground. A video for their latest single, “Would You Like Me If I Played A Guitar,” premiered with SPILL Magazine. It is described as “a flashback to their freestyle roots while thrusting into uncharted territory as being part of the very first complete album to be released with a headphone version rendered in THX Spatial Audio.”

The video merges performance video of vocalist Kurt Larson with computer-generated vector graphics and neon-drenched animation.

“I recorded myself singing this at about 2 a.m. one night at work,” Larson laughed about the filming of the video, which was directed by live-video performer Zeke Prebluda. “Thankfully, Zeke was able to make it look like something anyway.”

Founder/producer/keyboardist Paul Robb said, “This song is new, but the sentiment goes all the way back to our early days in Minneapolis, when we felt ignored because we were a synthpop band and every one getting traction in town was playing grungy guitar music (or Prince). Perhaps it’s a tad bit less timely now that 90% of popular music is electronic, but still … would you?”

WATCH:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b54KPp3TzAY&feature=youtu.be

Released digitally on Aug. 6, “ODDfellows” created quite a stir in the media. Music tome PopMatters heralded, “ODDfellows is easily one of the year’s best records, with the band moving forward without missing a beat.” East Coast mag The Aquarian added, “Electronic music pioneers Information Society are back … with a bang!” American Songwriter added, “the 10-track collection is surprisingly expansive, a satisfying excursion for long-time fans and perhaps enticing for newcomers.” Even the underground were abuzz with Rockdafuqout calling it “a vintage-style pop-music glitter-bomb” and Chaos Control praising, “Information Society continues to create sophisticated pop music that fuses new wave, freestyle, electronic-industrial and other genres.”

Following the new-romantic bop of previous single “Room 1904,” “Would You Like Me If I Played A Guitar” continues with the band’s ever-expanding repertoire of synthpop bangers. From the Brit-flavored electropop of “World Enough” to the majestic darkwave of “Nothing Prevails” to the slinky pop of “Down in Flames,” “ODDfellows” treats each genre as a different colored thread woven into a rich and vivid tapestry.

Crowned “absolute legends of synth-pop, electronic, MTV Generation, and, above all, original music,” by Jammer Zine, INSOC returns to the original incarnation of the band intact with founding members Robb on synths, Larson on vocals and bassist James Cassidy. Prebluda (aka Falcotronik), who has been performing live with the band since 2009, joined the band as the official fourth member in 2019.

Storming the mid-1980s with their Freestyle debut classic “Running,” Information Society has enjoyed multiple Top 40 hits, including their No. 1 smash "What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy),” "Walking Away", "Think" and "Peace & Love, Inc."

Information Society: From left: James Cassidy, Kurt Larson, Zeke "Falcotronik" Prebluda and Paul Robb. (Photo by Jonathan Shelgosh. Shot in the Dominican Republic in November 2019. Image courtesy of Reybee Inc.)