Stereolab - "Robot Riot"

Stereolab have announced the fifth volume of their long-running Switched On compilation series and shared a previously unreleased song, "Robot Riot."

Ever since reuniting in 2019, Stereolab has been focused on their live shows, sharing previously unreleased material, and tracks featured on out of print releases from deep within their archive. Today, they continue that trend. After previously announcing a North American tour slated for this fall, the band has now announced Pulse Of The Early Brain [Switched On Volume 5], the latest in their reissue campaign, and shared the track "Robot Riot." Originally written for a Charles Long sculpture, the song dates back to 2000 and is heavy on the krautrock influences that shaped some of their best work. Motorik rhythms give the song its steady beat and whirling electronics give it a pulse. It's not as bright and bubbly as some of their more definitive tracks (hey, it was unreleased for a reason I guess), but it is still exciting to hear more gems that further their legacy and cement their sound as something truly their own and still exciting so many decades later. There was no band that matched the ingenuity of Stereolab in their prime and now it sounds just as apparent as ever that this group was operating at a truly different level. Space-age music that still sounds lightyears ahead of its time.

Pulse Of The Early Brain [Switched On Volume 5] is out September 2 via Warp.