Premiere: Interesting Times Gang ‘Are We OK’

Ian Miller is a name known for his post-metal exploits in Kowloon Walled City, but with his solo project, Interesting Times Gang, we see a completely different side to his musical influences and output. Under the ITG moniker, Miller explores the realms of hip-hop, trip-hop, and breakbeat that has more in common with Roni Size and DJ Shadow than Neurosis and his day job in Kowloon Walled City.

Interesting Times Gang - Photo by Rachel Z Photography
Interesting Times Gang – Photo by Rachel Z Photography

And today, on the eve of the independent release of his latest EP, Are We OK, we can explore this musical landscape with him as the five tracks transport us back to the 90s with its infectious loops, slick bass hooks, and general all-round catchiness and grooves. What else is there to add only to click play below…

More On Interesting Times Gang & ‘Are We OK’

Ian Miller is the bassist for Kowloon Walled City, Less Art, Strangelight, and several other punk and metal bands. But Interesting Times Gang, the sobriquet for Miller’s solo experimentations, is a radical departure from those projects.

Are We OK is the follow-up to 2021’s critically acclaimed Beats, No Rhymes, No Life album, released in 2021 via Pax Aeternum. The new EP’s five songs run the gamut from grimy hip-hop beats to chillwave to turn-of-the-millennium big beat.

Interesting Times Gang 'Are We OK'
Interesting Times Gang ‘Are We OK’ Artwork

This EP also marks Miller’s first foray into video editing. The video that accompanies Are We OK combines found footage from the ‘70s through the ‘90s into a celebration of hip-hop and dance music. The other four tracks recall 2000s chillwave (Gods On Feedback), golden age hip-hop meets chiptune (Bewildering Fog), baroque country crossed with downtempo electronica (Singing In The Wire), and unclassifiable club bangers (Duck You).

Are we okay? Probably not, but this EP might be just what you need to get there.

Are We OK Tracklisting:
01. Are We OK
02. Duck You
03. Gods On Feedback
04. Bewildering Fog
05. Singing In The Wire

Interesting Times Gang and their new EP Are We OK releases independently tomorrow, 11th March, and is available digitally through Bandcamp and pre-saves can be found at Distrokid.

Label: Independent
Band Links: Bandcamp