Ears Wide Open: The Beta Machine

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The Beta Machine, a passion project founded by multi-instrumentalist Matt McJunkins (A Perfect Circle, Puscifer, 30 Seconds to Mars) and drummer Jeff Friedl (A Perfect Circle, Puscifer, Filter, Devo), are still somewhat under the radar as they spend more time in the studio with producer Mat Mitchell. They debuted live at the Viper Room, April 2014 and their first music video for the reverb-drenched single “Pictures” came out July 2014. Since then, the band — McJunkins and Friedl, along with singer Claire Acey (Nightmare & the Cat, Carina Round), and guitarists Tommy Dill and Nick Perez — have been slowly picking up steam. The quintet brandishes sophisticated moodiness in synth-spiked songs that range from grandiose to delicate, with their latest single “The End” remaining hauntingly lush. Their music permeates through shadowy corners with sinister undertones and complimentary soaring vocals. McJunkins and Friedl, both having spent a lot of time immersed in different musical genres as session players, are honing in on the Beta Machine’s art-rock style which is noticeably derivative of their other projects, and their fans are very likely to carry over.

||| Live: The Beta Machine perform Feb. 18 at The Viper Room along with Draemings and Dekades.

||| Also: Watch the video for “Pictures,” below:

thebetamachine