Biography
Protomartyr are a post-punk band from Detroit, fronted by vocalist Joe Casey. Casey has said he started the band to fill his time rather than for any career ambition, while working jobs such as doorman and nursing home worker[2]. Their third album, The Agent Intellect (2015), took its title from an obscure Aristotelian idea and explored the mind, faith, aging and doubt[3]. Critics have compared their approach to Pere Ubu[1], and have traced a widening focus over time from violence in Detroit toward its possible roots in religion, philosophy and biology[5].
References
- NPR First Listen: Protomartyr, The Agent Intellect (Jason Heller) — Review describing the album as simmering and unsettling, and the song as a churning, harshly textured assessment of manufactured contentment.
- The Quietus: State Of Mind, An Interview With Protomartyr — Joe Casey on the album title as a metaphor for the mind, his Detroit day jobs, and why the band exists.
- The Skinny: Protomartyr on The Agent Intellect — Casey on the Aristotelian origin of the title, faith and frustration, aging, and the album's odd source material.
- WAMC/NPR: What's the Meaning of Life? Ask Protomartyr — Casey on the imaginary city of Anacita, first sung about in this song, and on the follow-up album's themes.
- Bandcamp Daily: Protomartyr, Relatives in Descent review — Critical framing of the band's progression from Detroit violence to its roots in religion, philosophy and biology.