With Programmed for Pleasure, the Lucerne-based trio Laddermen ends its silence and makes a dramatic return with their evocative sound. At the same time, the single is already a promise of the intrigue we can expect in the near future.
The new song is a hauntingly atmospheric composition driven by a playful guitar, significant for classic indie rock. However, the monotonous delivery of the verses by Texan-native singer and guitarist Leopold Oakes contrasts the melodic sound and adds to the darker ambience felt throughout Programmed for Pleasure.
Today, Negative White exclusively presents Laddermen's Programmed for Pleasure alongside a stunning and spooky music video directed by Zabalik:
Despite what the gruesome video might suggest, Programmed for Pleasure isn't about murder—it's simply a narrative device. Laddermen explore the hopeless attempts to save a crumbling relationship—perfectly described by the song's first line:
Solving the murder with the killer in the room.
These few words are enough for the sobering realisation that there's no solution when the people, their programmed mechanism killing love, are around. The band doesn't sugarcoat it: Programmed for Pleasure is a despairing song, fooling you with a beautifully melodic sound, an indie rock siren that drags you overboard in the dark depths. And you drown.
A Refined, Melodic Sound
In 2021, Laddermen released their debut album, Special Kind of Violence, featuring eleven songs with a raw energy reminiscent of acts like Fontaines D.C.
Alice Teeple wrote about the single The Huntress Obeyed for post-punk.com: «The nostalgic swoon of Laddermen's sound, bolstered by unconventional singing, deviant progressions, and articulate urgency, has a dark post-punk indie vibe, comparable to Editors, with the passion of Frank Black fronting Interpol.»
With Programmed for Pleasure, Laddemen depart for these rough soundscapes, travelling to more melodic and intricate songs that will be steadily released next year.
