Exclusive: Stream Tobacco Rat's new EP ahead of its launch tonight

Tobacco Rat is the new audio/visual project of multi-award winning WA producer/composer Jake Steele (Kučka, Injured Ninja, Yarhkob), one that devles into dark, subterranean music styles with an eery, engaging stage presence. It's some of the freshest, most forward-thinking electronica to come out of a fine state for a while, and Steele now released his debut six-track EP, SUBSISTENCE - a diverse release that touches on everything from hip ­hop to trap, experimental, dancehall, industrial, techno and more.

He's kindly given us a stream of the release, along with providing some background into each of the tracks, which you can read up on below before he launches it at The Bird in Northbridge tonight, with support from Diger Rokwell, Atripat and BAESEX (more info HERE). And you can purchase SUBSISTENCE via BANDCAMP.

TRACK 1 \\\\**** Trenchtown 2020

The EP kicks off with a bass-focused, unrelenting stomper of a tune. Dancehall inspired rhythms with pounding tom drums, distorted beats, menacing trombones and warped synths all combine for an all out assault on the ears.

TRACK 2 \\\\**** Cavities

A dark electronic hip hop journey through decaying buildings. Reverb drenched percussion and synth hits merge with crashing scrap metal. Distant rave synths and bass growls echo through the fog covered fields.

TRACK 3 \\\\**** Paper Plastic

Jangly bells starts off Paper Plastic as it drops into some classic hip hop vibes with an 808 kick and claps. The song gradually builds with an atmosphere of synth elements and a moving bass groove until it descends into a high energy bounce and the intensity rises into a blistering climax.

TRACK 4 \\\\**** Pfunk 600

Probably the lightest moment of the whole EP. The sun comes out but something is not quite right on this distorted holiday. Sampled congas, dancehall rhythms and g-funk solos fuse with deformed synths and delayed percussion hits to take the listener on a wandering mind expedition.

TRACK 5 \\\\**** Automated Kitten Crusher

A bouncy garage beat groove really kicks the EP up a notch into dancefloor territory with its punchy beats mixed with erratic laser sound solos and thumping kicks. The track eventually morphs into a dark techno beat with harsh scrap metal hi-hats perfectly leading up to the final track on the EP...

TRACK 6 \\\\**** Kingtech

The final track on the EP is an 8-minute monster of a windup. A dark Berlin-inspired techno track suited to the early hours of the day locked in an abandoned German power station. Rolling sub bass swells with the white noise of sprays of a surging wave while pounding kicks tie the track together until the pleasant but odd synth melody guides the listener to the peak of the track.

Follow Tobacco Rat: FACEBOOK / SOUNDCLOUD