Hi there – It’s time to be paranoid,
Biometric is available for download on our Bandcamp page from 24th of October 2019.
It’s exciting times at Ugly Nature as we release Biometric, our latest single. But, are we actually excited?
Yeh, hell yeh. Because the invasion of your body and identity is happening now. This tangled world deserves your paranoia on a topic evolving faster than ethics can be applied. Be paranoid about major train stations illegally making private records (spying) of our faces, about racist datasets for security software, about a version of Chinas’ social credit system being deployed through biometric technology in your country. #SenseOfDoom. It’s dystopian as cluck.
Cough or…. Watch a music video and enter our competition to win a signed digital copy (addressed to your name) of Biometric. Urgh, so good! Competition link at the end, first a bit about the track which took a year to write...
"The song Biometric raises concerns about the unethical use of our biometric data in this fast paced society. These concerns cannot be timelier under the wide use of biometrics by big corporations and governments in our private and public spheres."
About the new track
In this track, Dean returned to our punk and EBM roots, taking inspiration from the like of Front 242, The Units, The Prodigy, Soft Cell and Devo when he composed it. It inspired Thomas to research a topic he was deeply uncomfortable with: the deployment of biometric identity technology in our everyday lives with little or no ethical control for us, the public.
“I looked at the invasive way which our devices, CCTV networks, institutions etc capture / measure / use highly detailed datasets about our bodies. Biometrics are used with systems of prediction and control. It is developing too fast for regular people to give consent for what is being and could be done with this data. - that was my launchpad.”
After the first lyric draft Thomas worked with Oscar Miguel, a research scientist in the field of biometric technology. Fact-check the lyrics to reflect the state of the global industry? Check. Convert an image of Deans’ face into Delaunay Triangulation for the cover art using open source software? Check.
"Biometric technology is a tool, and as every tool, it can be used or misused. However, biometric systems are extremely powerful tools which can improve security if used correctly, but could also create a terrifically oppressive society. Raising concerns about its' potential, specifically its' potential to be misused, is of paramount importance to drive its' regulation and ethical use. That's what this song intends, and frankly I hope it is what this song will achieve."
Competition
Ending 30th September
To thank our fans for supporting us, at Ugly Nature we're making 10 hand signed digital copies of the cover art for Biometric. That's right- with your name on it.
[SIGN UP LINK]
Ten new subscribers will be chosen at random and receive a direct email copy of our EP "Biometric" and unique signed cover art. We’ll contact the winners in the first few days of October.
Biometric is available for download on our Bandcamp page from 24th of October 2019. Raising public understanding of this topic is more important to us than money which is why we’re offering the track to the public on a donation basis.
Thank you so much for joining us. Stay strong.
Thomas