The Joy Thieves take no prisoners, a fact that’s very apparent in their new single “The Wrong End of Your Rifle”. A sneak peek of their next album, Apocalypse Pending (in stores June 5th), the Chicago supergroup taps rips through the three-minute anarchistic song with Dan Milligan’s heavy drumming, James Scott’s rattling guitars, and explosive vocals from former Ministry member Chris Connelly. Its message is clear: real-life violence should be shunned, not packaged as a Netflix special. Although we’re waiting for armageddon, The Joy Thieves spared no time dropping this week’s Shameless Tuesdays playlist!

Here’s what drummer Dan Milligan has to say about this week’s playlist:

I have always gravitated towards music that isn’t easily defined. In fact, the easier it is to neatly fit a piece of music into a specific genre, the less I typically enjoy it. So, naturally when it comes to producing my own music, being adventurous and forging new territory is extremely important to me. And this was definitely the case when it came to the creation of the new album by The Joy Thieves.

It’s safe to say that those familiar with our music probably don’t associate the band with hip hop. As a “supergroup” that features members of bands like Ministry, Stabbing Westward, The Rollins Band, Killing Joke, Pigface, RevCo, PIG, David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, and KMFDM, people naturally assume we’re making industrial rock. And while the band certainly started off doing that, it didn’t take long before we started feeling adventurous, and exploring many different genres.

Case in point…our latest album, “Apocalypse Pending”, incorporates many hip hop production techniques from the late 80s and early 90s; the so-called “golden era” of rap. Not only did this new approach revolutionize our songwriting process, but it broadened our musical horizons, and ultimately resulted in a sound that even surprised us!

This playlist serves as a tribute to some of the music that inspired me while I was writing, producing, and mixing the music for Apocalypse Pending. While some of the songs fit solidly in the “old school hip hop” category, many of them combine elements of other genres into the music in ways that I found extremely inspirational.

Enjoy!

For more information on The Joy Thieves, visit their official website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky, and Bandcamp.

Promotional consideration provided by Shameless Promotion PR