Styrofoam

Belgium-based indie-electro pop artist Styrofoam (aka Arne Van Petegem) is set to release his new full-length album Disco Synthesizers & Daily Tranquilizers on October 12. The first single, “Get Smarter,” will be out August 24, along with five remixes of the track and b-side “Kids On Acid,” featuring Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols on drums. Get the free download of "Kids On Acid" below!

Disco Synthesizers & Daily Tranquilizers (named after a line in Elvis Costello’s classic "This Year's Girl") introduces a different Styrofoam, one with a harder edge and darker sound. Co-produced and mixed by Wally Gagel (Eels, Folk Implosion, Muse) of WAX LTD, he and Arne set out to produce a timeless electronic album inspired by classics like New Order, Kraftwerk and Depeche Mode, and their shared love for early Electro Hiphop and Postpunk. The album’s beats and keys were recorded directly to analogue tape, shunning the usual ProTools trickery of all previous Styrofoam releases. In addition to the Sex Pistol’s Paul Cook on drums for “Kids On Acid,” the album also features guest drums from Devo’s Alan Myers on “Believe Everything” and Jimmy Eat World vocalist Jim Adkins on “Extra Careful.”

Download “Kids On Acid” MP3 HERE

Belgium-based indie-electro pop artist Styrofoam (aka Arne Van Petegem) returns with a brand new single called Get Smarter, out August 24. The single will come bundled with five remixes of “Get Smarter” as well as b-side “Kids On Acid,” featuring Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols on drums.

“Get Smarter” was written and produced in Los Angeles while Arne watched from a distance as his home country of Belgium entered a deep political crisis. “It’s the first openly political song I’ve ever done,” he says. “Since finishing the track, I’ve come to think of it as sort of a wake-up call.” The punk-infused b -side “Kids On Acid” had Arne channeling his inner evil-twin in an attempt to lyrically write outside of his comfort zone. Both tracks were co-produced and mixed by Wally Gagel (Eels, Folk Implosion, Muse) of WAX LTD and give a nice glimpse into the darker and harder-edged style that Styrofoam fans can expect from the upcoming full-length album.