FLATTBUSH talk about their new album 'Strategic Offensive'.

Flattbush are set to self release their latest album Strategic Offensive on March 29th with a little help from Bill Gould. 

It's been eight years since the LA gindcore foursome released Otomatik Attack and we caught up with guitarist Bradley Walther to find out where the hell they have been?


It's 8 years since Otomatik Attack. Why has it taken so long to get back into the studio?

I don’t think Flattbush has ever left the studio. We’re always demoing songs and recording ideas. We constantly send riffs to each other, even when life gets too busy for us to get together in the same room. There were also a couple lineup changes since 'Otomatik'. I stepped away for a few years, got married and had a kid, but I re-joined the band in 2012. We’ve worked with a few different drummers since 2010, and now have our original 'Smash the Octopus' line up with Ray Banda on drums for 'Strategic Offensive'. We released 2 singles in 2013 titled 'Holy Shit', and 'Pork Barrel', they were both slightly under the radar, although we made videos for both songs.


The teaser sounds extremely aggressive. What flavours can we expect from the new album?

'Strategic Offensive' is like waking up in the morning to a slap in the face and a pot of hot coffee dumped in your lap. It’s FAST, it’s raw and in your face. There’s a couple surprises too, but it’s still classic Flattbush at its core, and of course, there’s always a revolutionary message.


The current political climate in the States is pretty terrifying. Do you address this through the new music? If so how? 

As long as U.S. Imperialism exists, our songs will apply to any political climate, but of course there are some direct references in the album concerning the current state of affairs. Our song 'U.S. Troops Out Now' addresses the ongoing struggle against U.S. occupation in third world countries all over the world. Hopefully people will do their own research on our material though, because pretty much every song attacks the fascist Trump regime in one way or another.


The teaser also reveals a brass section! A new direction for the band? 

We did a cover of Nancy Sinatra’s 'These Boots Are Made for Walkin’', and wanted to do it right, so we brought in a horn section. It was a lot of fun, and the song kind of ties into the role played by U.S. Imperialism/Occupation lying and cheating, and messin where they shouldn’t be messin, but one of these days the boots of the people are gonna rise up and walk all over Uncle Sam.


What was the extent of Bill Gould's involvement with this record? 

Bill will always be a part of Flattbush. We’re family. He gives us advice, and leadership. He loaned us some killer mics for the recording, helped us track the drums, and is also the executive producer on the album.

You are releasing the album on various formats including tape cassette, which is cool but crazy! How come? 

Cassette tapes have made a big come back in the underground scene. They’re cheap to produce, and I’ve always loved tapes, because it’s not as easy to skip songs. I remember falling in love with so many albums on tape because you have to take in the entire album. They also fit the shape of Mao’s little red books, so we thought it would be perfect since our album cover has a similar look.


The end of February sees you guys return to the live stage with a show at Regal Inn. Will you be touring the new album?

We have several shows in the works right now. Playing strategic shows will be the priority, but touring is never off the table if the right situation presents itself. Hopefully with the release of this album, some opportunities will develop.