Dirty Old Power

For more than two decades, AJJ have made albums that try to make sense of an increasingly confusing world, finding small traces of hope and beauty in the wreckage. On their ninth album, Dirty Old Power, they confront the possibility that the right words may no longer exist.

Dirty Old Power surveys a surreal American moment, where post-World War II capitalist power structures have curdled into techno-fascism, and where data centres, VR headsets, doomscrolling, and artificial versions of our loved ones are pushing humanity aside.

To capture the record’s wide range of styles, AJJ returned to Animal Rites studio in Los Angeles with Grammy-winning producer John Congleton, who also worked on Christmas Island and The Bible 2. Cover art comes from legendary visual artist Winston Smith, best known for his iconic work with Dead Kennedys.