In addition to the release of Madonnawhore, on April 21st The Flenser will reissue Kayo Dot’s beloved Hubardo album on double CD / triple LP formats.  Originally released in 2013, Hubardo is a 100-minute magnum opus that has been a longtime out-of-print fan favorite and is available for pre-order here.

After exploring a retro-futurist noir sound on Kayo Dot's 2014 album Coffins on Io then delving even further into electronic music with Plastic House on Base of Sky, Driver was eager to write a different kind of song. Madonnawhore represents a foray into traditional songwriting, stripped of the progressive flourishes and unpredictability of Kayo Dot. These six austere tracks are sparse and atmospheric, evoking empty spaces and the beauty sometimes inherent in death. They occupy a heretofore unexplored place in Driver's oeuvre, and were recorded primarily as a solo effort but share some lyrical contributions from Jason Byron, who also writes for Kayo Dot.

Although not a concept album, Madonnawhore is united by its exploration of the "madonna-whore complex," a psychological neurosis first identified by Sigmund Freud whereby a man feels he can only love a woman who maintains a saint-like purity, but desires to be intimate with someone he considers to be debased. This sacred/profane dichotomy has far reaching effects that are seemingly inescapable in modern society and ripe for examination.

Madonnawhore Track List:

1. The Scarlet Whore - Her Dealings With The Initiate
2. Avignon
3. The Deepest Hole
4. Parsifal
5. Craven's Dawn
6. Boys On The Hill