Freaking Out

“You couldn’t make this stuff up,” says Paul Chaney, one half of ControlFreak. The duo’s new album Disgraceland is eerily well-timed. An infuriatingly smug David Drumm is on the cover, alongside a number of other recognisable heads, such as Brian Cowen, Bertie Ahern and Charlie Haughey. 

“What’s come out shouldn’t have surprised anyone,” Paul says as we discuss the mind-boggling Anglo Tapes that have pushed half the country over the edge. “The Anglo Tapes aren’t going to change anything. It’s five years too late. It’s water under the bridge. It’s good that it happened, yes, but these people aren’t going to be prosecuted. It’s all lost in the mess.”
ControlFreak’s aim is to get people talking about ‘nasty truths’, which are often swept under the carpet. Their chosen medium is a mix of ’90s grunge rock with a dark new wave twist and catchy pop. 
Along with Anglo and Dáil Éireann, the Dublin duo’s new album touches on the abortion debate. Hard-hitting single ‘Alright! (A Right to Choice)’ hits out at organisations such as Youth Defence and other pro-life activists.
“The idea of Disgraceland was kicking around for a while. We wanted to design the album cover and everything else around the abortion debate, the Catholic Church, our corrupt politicians and bankers. They’re issues we’ve been talking about for years now. Music can reflect what’s going on out there. We’ve always tried to do that. We’re not soapbox, militant, in-your-face ranting. We’re about freedom. We always have been and always will be.”
After a number of line-up changes ControlFreak have pretty much nailed their sound. 
“We both think alike in terms of how we want to sound and what we want to say. We’re polar opposites though when it comes to influences. It’s good to have all those different ingredients in the pot. We’re happy with what we’re doing and the principals behind it.”
The band will move away from the abortion debate with their next single, Paul reveals. This time the subject is suicide. 
“We’re working on a new track at the moment called ‘Inside’ which will be a fundraiser for suicide awareness and research. It’s something that I feel strongly about as it’s affected me in the past, in terms of people I’ve known. If we can make a little contribution to solving the problem then it would be great. There’s such a huge suicide problem in Ireland, particularly among young males.”

Disgraceland is available from controlfreaksex.com