Philadelphia Industrial EBM Project genCAB Unearths the Past with “Perish The Thought”

I stand beside myself inside of a joke
even when I admit to take the blame
and tarnish my own name
the guilt inside me causes myself to choke

It’s been over a decade since Philadelphia’s genCAB released “II transMuter” (Hive Records). While working on a sophomore album, however, David Dutton tragically lost all remnants in a hard drive crash. Feeling defeated, he switched gears and moved from New Jersey to Philadelphia. Now, with two new releases under his belt, he is giving a new lease on life from a gem in the vault from 2008.

While on tour last year with his former Aesthetic Perfection bandmates, as well as label mate Josie Pace, Dutton originally wanted to vary the setlists with some older material. “Perish The Thought,” the original opener to II transMuter, now features a dramatic new production style, setting Dutton’s powerful vocals center stage. Dutton’s fondness for Skinny Puppy, NCC, and Faithless informed the general oeuvre of the track, but he was never entirely satisfied and felt the song had more potential.

One can see how ahead of the time the track initially was, but the reworking brings out a new surge of confidence and power in Dutton’s entire performance style. Bringing together electronic elements with industrial and synthpop, the polished gem sparkles.

“I always considered Perish The Thought the mission statement when I first wrote it,” Dutton muses. “Even though I didn’t try to emulate anything specifically, those interests all seemed to blend nicely. Back then I had no idea what I was doing from a technical standpoint, I just felt like it all still played nicely together. I also had no confidence whatsoever as a vocalist. But it was necessary to have a human element. It was really nice to revisit this track now that I handle all of my own production and feel a lot stronger with a microphone. This track finally sounds like how I had always wanted it to sound.”

Stream below and purchase the track here.

In 2021 genCAB released the LP “Thoughts Beyond Words” (Negative Gain Productions), and the self-released EP “Everything You See Is Mine.” The former was a split collection of recrafted unreleased ideas and unconventional synthpop, while the latter pushed the boundaries of electronic rock, with shades of influence coming from shoegaze and hardcore music.

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