Abrasive, loud and somewhat repetitive, My Disco’s cacophonous sounds are disarmingly contagious. In a scene swallowed in a sea of band mediocrity, the Melbourne three-man outfit stands out like a musical beacon of shifting and abstract frequencies. They’re a consistent hit with a crowd that’s known for their fickleness, in a city that harbors the rumor that one in three people play in some kind of band.

Statistics aside, My Disco is well known for their stripped-down instrumentation and skeletal compositions of unexpected depth. Brothers Liam and Ben Andrews, and Rohan Rebeiro are all about disjointed beats and trance-inducing rhythms worthy of the affiliation, loose as it may be, with disco. Rohan provides the group’s backbone with his minimalist but deliberate drumming, while Ben’s versatility on guitar injects the frenzy of Rohan’s beats with structure. Completing the triangular triumphant is bassist Liam who, in his rhythmic consternations, offers an understated complexity to an otherwise rambunctious scene.

Launching their band in 2003, My Disco has gone from being obscure curiosities to minimalist virtuosos. The release of their debut album Cancer in late 2006 signaled a new level of emphasis on minimalism for the group. This was followed by the meticulously conceived Paradise in 2008. This year sees the release of My Disco’s new and much anticipated album Young. Fans should expect parallels to earlier albums, but there’s a markedly new turn towards experimentation. “The foundation has always been the same, but we’re branching outwards,” says Liam. “We’re developing and expressing in ways we haven’t before.”

Young follows in the same production trajectory as Paradise; Young was again recorded in Chicago with legendary indie producer Steve Albini at the infamous Electrical Audio. Scott Horscroft of Big Jesus Burger was enlisted to apply his sound engineer prowess to produce an album that is sparser than ever. In keeping with their stentorian sound, expect a freer soundscape, complemented by unexpected musical arrangements. “There was a deliberate sense of unknowing when we entered the studio,” says Liam, “much unlike Paradise, which was so meticulously conceived. We left a lot of room to move.”

My Disco will travel to the U.K., France, Germany, Belgium, Finland and Russia to promote their single “Young” in May/June 2010. Coinciding with their tour, the single and a Qua Remix will be released by independent U.K. label Blast First Petite.

– Lieu Thi Pham

For more info visit: www.mydisco.com.au