"However you might try to find the words for it, Total Control's caustic charm is stunning and oblique. A sensible account of the band typically focuses on its parts the associated groups, the touring configurations, etc. as if finding ways by which Total Control is divisible gleans critical information for breaking through their cryptic sheen. With tonic, wry twists, and forever employing aphoristic brevity for the comic/cosmic dynamite that it is best reserved for, the band seems to indulge this with each new release, or tour, or whatever's put on the counter. The bands European tour tape from 2015 was a sure reminder of this. Their new 12", 'Laughing At The System,' is a succinct statement, but it feels like the sharpest thing they've ever assembled. Written and recorded over the past couple of years in various lounge rooms, bedrooms, and rehearsal studios, across Melbourne, regional Victoria, and Western Australia, Al Montfort, Daniel Stewart, James Vinciguerra, Mikey Young, and Zephyr Pavey are for the record all accounted for in the process. 'Laughing At The System' is bookended by a title track in two parts. The scattered mania of the opener is an unsettling beginning, with cascading madhouse-riffs somehow finding a ricocheting unison. The closing part has the familiar head-charge of Total Control's most gnashing moments, with the guitars balancing the equation between running-too-fast and drinking-too-fast in one queasy commitment. With a brilliantly acerbic wit, we're implored to gather that there's some equivalences here. And it's this kind of impulse that's kept up throughout the 12". Drizzled with Vinciguerra's fraught fills, which have the rare quality of being unmistakably his in both electronic and acoustic form, this punctuation comes in and out of focus between elegiac moments and breezy experimentation, the latter including the elated instrumental 'Cathie and Marg.' Throughout, Stewart scripts a tumultuous wake for a flatlining reality, forever nudging the listener to second-guess themselves about the sincerity and intent. Far from cynical, but earnestly neurotic, the potency of the atmosphere that Total Control has mustered across 'Laughing At The System' registers as a deeply commanding, though bleak, psychedelicism for the future." Tracklisting 1:Laughing At The System 1 2:Future Crème 3:Vanity 4:Vote Cops 5:Her Majesty, Budgie 6:Luxury Vacuum 7:Cathie and Marg 8:Laughing At The System 2 File under: Alternative
Release date:
February 15, 2019
Label:
Install our app to receive notifications when new upcoming releases are added.

Recommended equipment and accessories
-
Ortofon 2M Blue Premounted
Mounted on the SH-4 Black Headshell, this setup delivers exceptional clarity, dynamic range, and accurate sound reproduction.
-
Turntables - Top Picks
A selection of reliable record players you can buy today, for every budget
-
Vevor Ultrasonic Cleaner
Thoroughly clean and restore your vinyl records, removing dust, dirt, and grime from every groove without damaging the surface
-
HumminGuru: Ultrasonic Vinyl Record Cleaner
Advanced ultrasonic technology with customizable cleaning cycles and a large tank capacity to thoroughly remove dust, dirt, and contaminants
-
Technics SL-1500C Turntable
Features a direct-drive motor, a high-precision tonearm, and a premium MM cartridge, delivering exceptional sound quality
Featured Upcoming Vinyl
-
Cardinals Masquerade
Communion Group Limited
February 13, 2026 -
Big Special National Average. (Orange/Yellow Marble)
So Recordings
November 14, 2025 -
Joe Bonamassa B.B. King's Blues Summit 100 [3xLP]
Ktba Records
February 6, 2026 -
MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP DON'T SELL YOUR SOUL (Red)
Earmusic
October 24, 2025 -
New Order Power, Corruption & Lies 2020
Rhino/Warner Records
October 31, 2025 -
Del Water Gap Chasing The Chimera (Clear)
Mom+Pop
November 7, 2025 -
Danheim Heimferd
Season Of Mist
October 31, 2025 -
Dear Boy Celebrator
Last Gang Records
November 14, 2025 -
Good Luck Big Dreams, Mister
Lauren Records
October 24, 2025 -
Bloc Party Silent Alarm [2xLP]
Pias America
November 21, 2025 -
The Mary Onettes SWORN (Black & White Splatter)
Welfare Sounds & Records
November 14, 2025 -
Haircut 100 Boxing The Compass
Absolute Label Services
March 20, 2026 -
Carly Rae Jepsen Emotion: 10th Anniversary (Blue Swirl)
604 Records
October 24, 2025 -
Despised Icon Shadow Work (Red, Black, White Marbled)
Nuclear Blast
November 21, 2025