| Special to The Journal
Album releases with added bonuses are nothing new, but in the coronavirus era, artists are definitely getting more creative.
Some albums have food tie-ins, while others have included pieces by visual artists, or ways to raise money and awareness for organizations helping those in need during these uncertain times.
Providence electropunk act Math the Band is taking it even further, with a five-part series of releases tied to its latest album, “Flange Factory Five,” which debuted Oct. 1. The album itself is the third installment in a sequence of five monthly releases. A book of the same name came out in August and an accompanying energy drink was released last month.
Founding member Kevin Steinhauser, the guitarist and vocalist for the band, based this endeavor on an idea he had for a fantasy adventure novel with magic, wizards and other characters.
“It’s first and foremost a book, then there’s an album based on the book and also a video game based on it as well,” he says. “The story is about this flange guitar effect pedal, and we’re releasing a replica of the pedal that’s a playback device of the album, and you can make the sound go all weird.” The guitar pedal will be released in November and followed by a Game Boy cartridge in December.
The energy drink comes in a plastic case with a label that makes it look like a can of Hi-C Ecto Cooler. Steinhauser found a company on the internet that helped him create the drink, which he says tastes a bit like Red Bull.
On the album, Steinhauser is joined by drummer Matt Zappa, bassist Adam Waz and guitarist Max Holbrook. The sound walks the fine line between Math the Band’s nintendocore roots and the punk sound of their previous album, “Math the Band the Band the Album,” that came out in 2015. Tracks like “Panic Attack Superstar,” “Duel Of The Deer,” “Wet Cement” and “I Get Sick” are stellar examples of this sonic approach.
“It’s definitely in the middle of when it was all synthesizers and drum machines and our last album, which was guitar, bass, drums and straight-up rock ‘n’ roll,” he says. “We’re splitting the difference between those two with this one.”
COVID-19 forced the cancellation of a promotional tour, with shows restricted by social distancing guidelines. But even so, Steinhauser says, the various components of the “Flange Factory Five” release have been well received.
“My plan is to not market them at all,” he says of the forthcoming releases of the guitar pedal and the computer game, since supplies are very limited and the book sold out in just a couple of days. He’s looking forward to a little down time after this latest project.
“It’s been something that I’ve been working on for the past five years,” he says. “It’s going to be nice to take a break from that for a little bit.”
