French stoner/alternative/heavy rock band Computers Kill People to release new album »The Storyteller« on October 17th via Kernel Panic Records!

Paris, France based stoner/alternative/heavy rock band Computers Kill People has announced new full-length album, »The Storyteller«, scheduled for release on October 17th, 2025 through their own label Kernel Panic Records.

Tracklist:
01. Sunset Kiss
02. Last Man Standing
03. She Said
04. Good Guy With A Gun
05. Intermission
06. Give It Away
07. The End
08. A.N.G.R.Y
09. Only The Dead
10. Lockdown Blues
11. TV Monsters

Courtesy of Vous Connaissez ? // Freelance Music & Culture PR:

Ten years (!) and two EPs have passed since »Silence Means Security«, Computers Kill People’s debut album. A decade that has allowed the Parisian stoner/power rock quartet to gain a now total confidence in their art, which »The Storyteller« amply manages to transcribe. Entrusted to the nimble fingers of Étienne Sarthou (Karras, Freitot, ex-AqME) for mixing and Magnus Lindberg (Cult Of Luna) for mastering, this is the second LP marked by change. The change of a band whose lineup has been half-renewed since the previous album, also a band that has changed its mentality and approach, thanks to personal lives disrupted by both happy and less happy events. This time, it’s the more serious and anxious nature of its members that shines through in the music. This is far from having encroached on the energy they infuse into it; on the contrary, it’s even an additional motivation.

With »The Storyteller«, Computers Kill People offers more variety than ever, while revealing their potential as a hit factory… And their riff fair! Loïc Wiels and Yome Venice’s guitars have beefed up their playing, and have found their symbiosis with the tight bass and drums of Karin Gousset and Erwan Colin. A solidified team that combines punk-spirited stoner (»A.N.G.R.Y«, »Good Guy With A Gun«, as well as the ultra-punchy reinterpretation of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ »Give It Away«) with bluesy and classy heavy rock (»The End«, »Last Man Standing«, »Lockdown Blues«). But it also manages to surprise with a beautiful and huge moment cradled in indie rock and grungegaze, crystallized by »She Said«. Until offering a grandiloquent finale with »TV Monsters«, a blaze in the middle of the desert. A new era is dawning, along with a look back in time, as two tracks from the EP »Healing Bruises« (2018) are included and benefit from a no-nonsense facelift. Loïc explains this choice:

“Originally, we wanted to make three EPs and combine them into one album. It didn’t happen that way, because over time, our desires changed, but the creativity was still there. So much so that we didn’t hold back from reusing tracks we thought we could use better today than in the days of »Healing Bruises«, an EP that’s already a bit dated, while Destruction Derby was more solid. So we felt the need to give “Only The Dead« and »Sunset Kiss« a new lease on life and give them the space we felt these songs deserved. In this case, it was on the album’s tracklist. I would have liked to cover »Weight Of Your Love«, but we quickly noticed its disconnect from the rest.”

Photos by Pascal Cossé

Everything that makes up Computers Kill People’s DNA is significantly enhanced through this new album. The melodies that emerge from it are even richer and more striking. And on the other hand, it’s safe to say… CKP has never sounded so HEAVY. Even though simpler and more refined in their intention, these songs go further in terms of writing, here much more conscious and refined. The result is a true collective effort, where each member contributes equally, whereas Loïc did most of this work in the past. Moreover, the singer-guitarist and pillar of the band impresses like never before. His performance is notable for a more assertive voice and a better mastery of his pitch. He shares about this step forward:

“It’s a progression that came naturally. There was a turning point with »Weight Of Your Love« on Destruction Derby. I started singing in a very distorted voice on the chorus, and thought I was doing well. I decided to change my posture by going from a microphone placed very high, a bit like Lemmy, to placed at the level of my throat. I play half bent, but that’s how I’m comfortable. I’m better technically, I play and sing better, I have more power, I can find my voice more easily. I realized that it worked well like that.”

One can’t help but revert to old reflexes nourished by the music those musicians grew up with. But it must be admitted that CKP has naturally detached themselves from their references, in favor of a much more personal result than in the past. Here, it’s the moods of an entire band that speak, rather than those of a single person “who’s having a little trouble letting go of their adolescence”; as Loïc says. It’s the feelings of four people, three of whom are young parents, facing increasingly difficult current events. These songs reflect their questions, their minds occupied by a sick world, while maintaining a musical mood that’s… uplifting!

This more collaborative approach continues even regarding the vocals. Loïc’s voice is no longer the only one to take the lead on the 10 sung tracks of »The Storyteller«, which opens up even more variety and dynamics. Yome grabs the microphone in a low and saturated register, but knows also how to be ethereal on »Sunset Kiss« (as was already the case on the »Healing Bruises« EP) and »A.N.G.R.Y«. But it is through the intervention of a female voice that CKP splits a novelty which brings even more interest. Karin’s performances on »The End” and »Lockdown Blues« prove brilliant, and worthy of a certain Polly Jean… Individually put to the service of the songs which correspond to them the most, the 3 voices which guide us are all the more in osmosis when they confront each other in choirs more harmonious than ever.

Through its themes, »The Storyteller« serves as a necessary reminder that everything is political, starting with art. CKP’s guiding principle is a strong and informed discourse, considering each human being as an individual within a system. Everyone must be able to find their place within it, despite the distressing global decline in the rights of women, LGBTQIA+ community, and people of color. The question arises: who are we to forbid?

We’ve had the title »The Storyteller« in mind for a long time; for me, it was even a code name for the release of »Silence Means Security«. The concept of “storytelling” has become central to what we say about the world and its state today. Everything related to politics is storytelling. The “Storyteller” is the “perfect” politician from a technical point of view. To fully exploit the meaning of the word, we spend our time watching TV series, movies, or playing video games. We’re constantly telling ourselves stories. The idea we wanted to emphasize with this title is that the best storytellers are those capable of leading the world’s major trends. This is also true in the writing of our songs and the way we organized them. It even sparked lengthy debates within the band. As far as I’m concerned, one way or another, this album MUST tell a story.

While we’ve always talked about rock with overexcited tendencies regarding Computers Kill People, this attitude is completely embraced and integrated on this sophomore album. »The Storyteller« sets in stone all the flamboyance of this soon-to-be-no-longer-hidden treasure of the French scene.

Recorded by Loïc Wiels at Kernel Panic Studio.
Recording of voices, mixing par Étienne Sarthou at Hemlig Studio.
Mastering by Magnus Lindberg.
Artwork by Pierre Conzatti.
Photos by Pascal Cossé.

Line-up :
Loïc Wiels – Vocals, Guitar
Yome Venice – Vocals, Guitar
Karin Gousset – Vocals, Bass
Erwan Colin – Drums

FFO: Queens Of The Stone Age, Slomosa, Fu Manchu, Kyuss, Monster Magnet, Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, PJ Harvey, Red Fang

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well