FROM TECHNOIR HAMMERS TO TORTURE TECH BEATS GO GATHER YOUR CULT
Qual, the solo project of William Maybelline (Lebanon Hanover, General Dynamics), will release the project's fourth LP Love Zone through Fabrika Records on September 15, 2025. Since Qual's 2015 debut release Sable, the project has been exploring dark and gloomy soundscapes of minimal synth, old school EBM, industrial electronics recorded on analog equipment.
With technoid hammers and torture tech beats Love Zone opens as a continuum of Qual's previous exploration of digital decay, A.I aftermath, our increasing addiction to the dopamine fix of the screen, and a pill for every ill. The rhythm and raw vocals of 'Come With Me' touch on the industrial tribalism of Sleep Chamber. 'For a Moment of Happiness' closes the A side with a slower, more mournful track than Qual fans might expect, displaying the multifaceted talents of the artist.
The B-side brings two more hard hitting tracks about rancid decay: 'Death and Destruction' and 'Beyond This Madness'. The title track 'Love Zone' is abrasive eroticism. 'Scrolling Your Brains Outs' closes the album with classic Qual: hard driven gloom that hits where it hurts.
Love Zone was made purely with hardware only. The album was mixed by Owen Pratt of Uncanny Valley, whose previous clients include Post Malone, Alice Cooper, Arcade Fire, Ryuchi Sakamoto and Lana Del Rey. Pratt's full organic approach meshes with Maybeline's overall vision for this album.
