‘Convertible Hearse’ debut LP from Atlanta’s death disco outfit CDSM, out today !
Convertible Hearse : clever death disco that’s all at once catchy, challenging, subversive, exhilarating, and hilarious...
Following early flashes of pure deviant brilliance, our favorite devilish cast of rambunctious post-punks, the aptly-named Celebrity Death Slot Machine a.k.a. CDSM, have finally committed to the full-length format, blessing us with an absolute track-to-track belter of an album: Convertible Hearse (May 23rd, 2025 via Mothland & EXAG’ Records).
This new offering, perhaps the subliminal playlist of a jukebox of divine sadistic temptations, does not “scratch that itch” as much as it literally tears the whole limb off… to be more specific: the severance of our head from the rest of our body by way of trance-induced maniacal head-banging. Convertible Hearse is potent with frantic social commentary, tongue-in-cheek dystopian allegories, racy innuendo, vile storytelling, as well as occasional over-the-top sentimental drivel for good measure, CDSM methodically infusing copious amounts of satire into the album’s lore without ever losing the thread. Harking back to their D.I.Y. roots as well as their penchant for punk music you can dance to, the Atlanta outfit meddle heavily with style to produce clever death disco that’s all at once catchy, challenging, subversive, exhilarating, and hilarious.
Given its intricate songwriting and complex, genre-crossing arrangements, it might come as a surprise that this debut full-length from CDSM was written and recorded in the short span of two weeks. Running a tad beyond 35 minutes, Convertible Hearse proposes a quick-witted, quirky take on modern post-punk, complete with on-point production and imagery, that should please fans of Viagra Boys, The Voidz, Total Control, Duchess Says, or The KVB.
This album was written and recorded during a two week period during which we isolated ourselves in an old family home in rural Rhine, Georgia, about two and a half hours south from where we live in Atlanta. As was the case with all previous releases, our synth player Jack Blauvelt handled engineering and production.
Every morning, we would rise early, exercise, and cook breakfast together before we would start on a completely new idea. Sometimes an arpeggiated synth line would kick things off, or maybe a stray verse or a scrap of an idea, and we would spend every waking hour of the day chasing this thread, until we could hardly keep our eyes open. We abstained from alcohol during the writing and recording process of this album to maximize our energy and focus. We spent our downtime smoking copious amounts of pot, drinking gallons of coffee, and shooting BB guns in our makeshift shooting gallery off the back of the house.
Another crucial component in making this record was being very intentional with not over-listening to the mixes – we would not listen to the song from the previous day. At the end of the day, the song was done and we didn’t touch it again until the end of the session. Upon leaving the recording session at the end of two weeks, we did not listen to any part of the album for over a month. This enabled us to return to the mixing process with fresh ears without burning ourselves out on the material too soon.
We also incorporated sampling for the first time on this album – the end of “What Do You Make?” features a sample of an audio recording from John and Vinny’s grandparents’ wedding in 1958.
– CDSM
CDSM - Convertible Hearse
Runtime: 35 minutes
1. This Is My New Hell
2. Not Another Bleeder
3. Nashville TV
4. Bad Dog
5. Slug Fucker
6. Cuck Jail
7. Dinner
8. What Do You Make?
9. I'm Disappearing
10. Shockable Rhythm
May 23rd, 2025 via Mothland & EXAG' Records
Written by
Tyler Jundt, Ben Presley, John Restivo Jr. & Jack Blauvelt
Produced, recorded & mixed by Jack Blauvelt
Mastered by Richard Addison
Artwork by Jack Blauvelt
