Taleen Kali unveils her new single Aepex via Dum Dum Records, ahead of the band’s tour as direct support for Ringo Deathstarr. Aepex signals a bold, darker turn for the band, blending heavy breakbeat drums, swirling fuzz-drenched guitars, and Middle Eastern melodies into a all-encompassing sound.
To capture their new sonic chapter, the band returned to The Cave Studios with producer/engineer Josiah Mazzaschi (Light FM, Bizou, Child Seat) and brought in Chris King (Cold Showers, Kai Tak) for mixing. It marks Taleen’s first time co-producing an original track and showcases the collaborative spirit that defines the project, as bassist Miles Marsico steps in on drums, former guitarist Royce Hsu contributes a farewell solo, and new guitarist Genevieve Quiquivix makes her recorded debut. With touring drummer Anthony Schillaci also adding percussion, Aepex introduces a lineup which appears more like a punk collective than a traditional band.
Taleen describes the track in detail: “There’s a point after which you can’t keep driving up against the current anymore. You just want to pierce through it. I grew up in L.A. It’s my home. I love being in DIY community here. And yet sometimes being in the music scene during these dark political times can feel so daunting. Capitalism makes artists compete, turning us into content machines churning ourselves to a pulp. That’s where I got the idea for ‘Aepex.’ I don’t just want to keep pushing upward into oblivion. ‘Aepex’ is the pinnacle of pleasure. A crest. A threshold. It’s about how meaningless the chase can be and finding other ways to forge meaning, finding transcendence amidst chaos and madness. All of these elements started driving me toward a darker direction, both during the songwriting process and in the studio when we were redefining our sound.”
ZR