Gimmie Trouble

ADULT. couldn't have said it better than this line: "Perhaps the least predictable band in contemporary underground music..." - Outburn Magazine

For example, in 2004 ADULT. unpredictably added a new member to the line up. Samuel Consiglio (of Tamion 12 Inch) was originally only added to play guitar and synthesizer on tour for the coming D.U.M.E. EP. The new trio thought to write a few songs together to play live during the D.U.M.E. tour (for fun), and that quickly grew into the new album, and thus Sam joined the band permanently.

ADULT. have long been DIY and a driving force in the Detroit underground music scene. In 1995 they started their own label, Ersatz Audio. They have organized shows with people as diverse as Carl Craig and the Dirtbombs. Their influence is hard to quantify, as they are some of the "go to" people in town - want to know where to make a poster - call ADULT. - and so on. This stems from their staunch independence and their intent to foster it in others. "Everything about ADULT. is created by us - our songs, our artwork, our label, etc. There is no big corporate machine behind us telling us what to do," says ADULT. 's Adam Lee Miller. Miller and co-founder/wife Nicola Kuperus spent nearly a year building their own studio in Detroit where they would record "Gimmie Trouble", right down to hanging the drywall.

ADULT. conceptualize and create all of their own album art, centering on Nicola Kuperus' photography. Kuperus' work features highly stylized sets and precise lighting, and most pieces share an aesthetic of detached intrigue. "The artwork is one element of a whole, a whole that everyone involved was in accord on," says Kuperus. "Everyone knew what Gimmie Trouble was about, the personal politics of it, so every decision reflected that common goal, artwork included." Gimmie Trouble is the album's title track as well as its mission statement. The band explains, "It's about your natural inclinations and the tendencies of others to resist them. People like to be able to predict your next move and when they can't, they like to think they can learn you something."

The songs on Gimmie Trouble are the work of three months of isolation and toil by the band, but ADULT. was able to record and mix the album in just two weeks between the US and European tours for D.U.M.E. "This time limit worked to our advantage, as we wanted the record to have a very immediate punch and to not sound overly labored", said Miller. "I really wanted to write a Devo Freedom of Choice album insofar as I wanted something that was shorter songs that got to the point and constantly kept the pace moving. Most of the music and vocals on this album are single takes, most made within a few tries. We felt this was important for the sense we wanted this record to convey." Short, sharp and in focus. Fast, cheap and out of control!"