DISCONNECTOR is the fourth studio album (3rd for Dirtnap) by Montreal-based band Sonic Avenues, to be released on October 7th 2016. The 12 songs featured on the album were recorded in the winter of 2016 by Adrian Popovich and Sonic Ave’s vocalist/guitarist Maxime Desharnais at Mountain City and Sound Salvation Studios (the latter being Desharnais’ home). Disconnector sees the band drawing its drive, dynamics and lyrical content from the desire of getting as far away possible from a formula of creative comfort. The approach resulted in an array of songs featuring the band playing with new instrumentation, different tempos and a variety of song structures. Sonic Avenues’ conscious effort to offer abrupt contrasts along with new textures has them further developing their own dynamics, turning dark and quiet into fast, noisy, fuzzed out sing-alongs. Musically, a lot of the inspiration around the songwriting revolved around bands like Adrian Borland’s The Sound, Gary Numan, DEVO and A Flock Of Seagulls just to name a few. Lyrically, Disconnector continues to build on the thoughtful vibe largely established on their last LP (2014’s well received Mistakes). Their new work, which favors an approach of select contexts subjugated by phonetic writing, explores themes of future and destiny, human potential and its annihilation, self-control, abandon, etc. In terms of sheer energy, the band’s punk roots are still in evidence. Given the subsequent development in lyrical and musical maturity, though, if you didn’t know what to listen for, this could almost be a different band from the one that released their s/t debut LP back in 2009. Never ones to make the same record twice, Sonic Avenues has always been a band that’s measurably grown and progressed with each successive LP, but we think you’ll agree that Disconnector marks their biggest, boldest step forward yet.