“Circle Pit is dead, long live GLOSS”, says Jack Mannix of the new musical project he has formed with long time collaborator, friend and partner in crime Angie Bermuda.Whereas Circle Pit, the Sydney band he and Bermuda started in 2007, owed much to the rock and roll swagger of the Rolling Stones and Royal Trux, GLOSS focuses more on electronic drums, synths and samples. Music that Mannix says is closer aligned to Chrome and Throbbing Gristle.Since the final Circle Pit record - the Slave/Honey 7" released through Sub Pop's Hardly Art imprint - Mannix has been busying himself with Drown Under and a photography book and Bermuda with her solo work both as a musician and filmmaker and in bands Ruined Fortune and Southern Comfort .Currently recording their debut album with Tim Dwyer (Horse Macgyver) in Dwyer’s home studio, Jack sent us through a demo of one of the tracks “Prey” ahead of some Melbourne shows this weekend that will include visuals and the world premiere of their full live set.Noisey: ‘Went to town and took your job/Burnt your house and jacked your car/Now I’m coming to get your kids’ Nice!Jack Mannix: Yes it is all true. We are the predators and you are the prey.What's it like to be back working with Angie again?The creative chemistry between Angie and myself is unlike any other dynamic I have experienced. We have a psychic connection that transcends collaboration, almost as if we operate as one unit. It was difficult but necessary, for us to take a break from working together in this capacity so that we could address some urgent personal issues as well as focussing on and nurturing our friendship/personal relationship. She is my true soul mate/best friend - both privately and creatively, and it's important to keep a healthy balance between these aspects of our relationship in order to keep it functioning at its full capacity and potential. It is a dream come true to be working together again, this is a life-long commitment and the best is yet to come.Why a two-piece?While we almost always performed live and recorded with additional members, Circle Pit was essentially a two-piece, in that Angie and I were the sole songwriters and decision makers in the band. We recruited band members for our ever-changing, ever-evolving live/recorded line-up so that we could execute the ideas we had at that time musically. The ultimate goal however has always been to find a way to exist in every medium/platform/plane as a two-piece, and with GLOSS we have achieved that.GLOSS seems darker than Circle Pit. Maybe it's the electronic drums! How are you approaching it musically and lyrically?We try not to pin ourselves down to any one thing and want to remain as open as possible. At the same time, we need to place certain limitations on ourselves in order to get things done, so as with anything it is about striking a balance. We are constantly evolving and our interests and inspirations ever-changing but at present I would say that we are really fascinated by the primitive first-person shoot 'em up games of our childhoods: DOOM and Wolfenstein as well as the Grand Theft Auto series. Other current inspirations include Terminator 2, Geto Boys, DJ Screw, Pamela Anderson-Lee-Rock, COPS: Adults Only , Li'l Kim, Royal Trux, Psychic TV, John Carpenter films, Snoop, Anna-Nicole Smith, Snapper, Insane Clown Possee, NWA, Chrome, The New World Order/Illuminati, Burzum, Mykki Blanco, Mayhem, Unsolved Mysteries, 48 Hours, true crime, conspiracy theories, black metal, experimental rock and late 80s/early 90s horror films.How is the new album looking?The material for the album is only just starting to take shape, but is quite eclectic and modern/unfamiliar. I'm really excited to keep working on it. It's amazing to be working with Tim, he has been a mentor of sorts when it comes to the world of electronics and so on, and in the role of producer has brought some really interesting, fresh ideas and perspectives to the table. The demo 'PREY' is a small taste of things to come, but this is a new beginning for us.
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Catch GLOSS in Melbourne July 13 at the John Curtin and July 14 at the Northcote Social Club.More Jack and Angie here:Meet Circle PitListen to Angie’s Album ‘Turning’[Premiere of Southern Comfort’s Beautifully Bruising New Song ‘Suzanne’](http:// http://noisey.vice.com/blog/premiere-of-southern-comforts-beautifully-bruising-new-song-suzanne )