For Your Consideration
by Jason Priest
Missing no longer. Jason Priest (aka Antoni Maiovvi) has resurfaced with the new album, For Your Consideration, on Midnight Mannequin Records. The follow-up to the well-received Jason Priest Is Missing (2021), For Your Consideration sees Priest channeling his inner Bowie and pushing further into pop territory, all the while continuing to ride the synth and shoegaze waves. With this latest effort, Priest has turned in a record that sonically feels like the missing link between Disintegration and Wish. Appropriate words given he’s facing an existential crisis; you know, being a figment of someone else’s imagination and all. He’s watching his world disintegrate around him, praying, no, wishing he could hold it together long enough to finally make it big. Lyrically there’s still plenty of weight, as an older, more mature Priest reflects on a misspent youth and wrestles with feelings of isolation and a loosening grip on reality. But that doesn’t stop him from challenging the listener to look inside and reflect on both the circumstantial and self-inflicted crises that feel all too real in this uncertain modern world. Angst. Despair. Distress. It’s all there. All for your consideration. And the award goes to…
Jason Priest is the post-punk/synthpop alter ego of Antoni Maiovvi, an artist with immeasurable talent and almost as many creative aliases as he has releases under his studded leather belt. Maybe you know him as the co-founder of Giallo Disco Records, or for his previous work on Death Waltz Originals, or as the creative force behind a long list of horror soundtracks, both real and imagined. Now is your chance to know him as Jason Priest, the British punk rocker who heads to New York City in 1982 on the heels of a brand new record deal, only to spend the better part of the decade strung out on amphetamines and drowning in alcohol. Now back in London, Jason is sober for the first time in years and dealing with an existential crisis, coming to grips with the idea that maybe he's only a figment of someone else's imagination...
released February 29, 2024
Written, Produced and Mixed between Bristol, UK 2020 and New Haven, CT 2021.
Special thanks to JP Live Crew: R. Cross, Benjamin Clockwise & E.Z. Greens. Thanks to Adam at Midnight Mannequin.
Photography by Joel Callaway
Design by Eric Adrian Lee
Mastered by Jeppe Hasseriis
Jason Priest Is Missing
by Jason Priest
After cutting his teeth with 2018’s King-Kill/33° EP and 2019’s Nightmare Boy EP, Jason Priest is back with his full-length debut, Jason Priest Is Missing, on Midnight Mannequin Records. Missing is eight tracks of what can only be described as a sort of post-goth-punk-wave-synthpop, inspired by equal parts The Cure, New Order, Depeche Mode, and Nine Inch Nails. The album firmly places Jason Priest in the upper echelon of synthpop acts, with painfully authentic vocals and masterful songwriting. Moments of upbeat synthpop perfection are juxtaposed against darker lyrics that explore themes of sadness, loss, and facing one’s own mortality. With pounding percussion, catchy guitar melodies, and pulsating synths, Jason Priest Is Missing is simply one of the best darkwave/synthpop albums to be released in years and (forgive us) is absolutely not to be missed. Electronic power-pop for the Haçienda crowd, complete with ‘I’m-rushing-my-tits-off’ joy and comedown melancholy. Available digitally and on limited edition 180 gram colored vinyl.
Jason Priest is the post-punk/synthpop alter ego of Antoni Maiovvi, an artist with immeasurable talent and almost as many creative aliases as he has releases under his studded leather belt. Maybe you know him as the co-founder of Giallo Disco Records, or for his previous work on Death Waltz Originals, or as the creative force behind a long list of horror soundtracks, both real and imagined. Now is your chance to know him as Jason Priest, the British punk rocker who heads to New York City in 1982 on the heels of a brand new record deal, only to spend the better part of the decade strung out on amphetamines and drowning in alcohol. Now, Jason is back in London with renewed energy from both the change of scenery and, more importantly, a newfound sobriety…
“An extraordinary display of songcraft and aesthetic. Like Lust For Youth or Drab Majesty, Jason Priest recalls a specific time in 1980s post-punk/new wave without sounding like a cheap knockoff. It will take you about three seconds into opener “When The Clown Cries” before you’re comprehensively hooked.” – Vehlinggo
“Easily the strongest set of songs that Maiovvi has ever produced. It’s not just that Maiovvi honors the aggressive disco punk of his influencers, it’s that he often laps them.” – CDM
“An exquisite display of layered percussion, Cure-like guitar melodies, bass lines, synth lines, and vocals with a noticeable edge and occasional post-punk undertone…richly textured and a truly unmatched fusion of styles.” – The Electroscape
"Jason Priest Is Missing captures this undeniably electric feeling on a record that encapsulates everything that the term “wave” (Read: synth, dark, etc) should be attached to from here on out." - Rock and Roll Fables
"Missing is, darkwave-wise, the king’s and queen’s bollocks wrapped in gold-threaded raw silk and topped with shiny onyx that you should not only make time for but also some room on your vinyl shelf as this is one of those albums the possession of which in physical form is pretty much compulsory." - Stereo Embers Magazine
released February 29, 2024
Additional vocals on 'The Power' by Mazzereth
Mastered by Jeppe Hasseriis
Artwork by Eric Adrian Lee
The Dead Of Winter
by Antoni Maiovvi
"THE DEAD OF WINTER is a sonic horror movie.
It’s a full sensory assault.
It’s a portal into the darkest parts of you, excavating feelings and emotions that you didn’t even know were there.
The album was initially conceived in what seemed like an everlasting winter—the middle of 2020. That’s when Anton and I met and passed some of our quaran-time over zoom, discussing everything from dream projects to embark on when the world opened up again, to Penderecki and chaos magick.
Perhaps because the album was born out of the emotional maelstrom of that time, these tracks sound like rage trapped, desperate to be set free, with a bittersweet wistfulness buried beneath.
Anton’s music evokes dreamscapes and nightmares. “Deathrocket (To The Sun)” is like creeping through a broken dollhouse. “Open Doorways” are the sounds of Hell. “Snowstorm” feels like a descent into a phantasmagoric labyrinth that you’ll never fully escape.
The best way to experience this album is by dimming the lights, closing your eyes, and giving yourself to it. Allow the music to take you by its skeletal hand and lead you deep into the blizzard of your psyche.
I hope you find both madness and ecstasy along the way."
Jenn Wexler, 2022
released April 7, 2023
Written, Recorded and Mixed by Antoni Maiovvi at Winchester R&D, New Haven, CT 2021-2022
Mastered by John Stillings at Steel Hook Audio Mastering
Artwork by Kerry St. Laurent
kerrystlaurent.com
Special Thanks to Jenn Wexler & Heather Buckley
Total Posts: 9597