Perturbator shares new atmospheric single ‘The Swimming Pool’ from new album “Age Of Aquarius”

Perturbator – the Paris-based composer/producer/multi-instrumentalist James Kent – today released ‘The Swimming Pool,’ the third single previewing his new album “Age of Aquarius” due out on October 10th via Nuclear Blast Records. ‘The Swimming Pool‘ is a serene instrumental piano ballad that evokes video game music, fittingly as Perturbator first broke through via the soundtracks to the beloved Hotline Miami shooter games in 2012 and 2015. The track’s gorgeous, moonlit ambiance is vaguely surreal, hinting at a dream that inspired the composition.

‘The Swimming Pool’ is a little moment of respite in an otherwise mostly aggressive album. It’s simple, minimalist, and intimate. Inspired by a dream I had years ago in which I found myself stuck in a huge hotel, searching ever so unsuccessfully for the swimming pool. James Kent

‘The Swimming Pool‘ follows album singles ‘Apocalypse Now,’ featuring lead vocals by Norwegian metal titan Kristoffer Rygg (Ulver), and ‘The Art of War,’ which earned praise and support from Brooklyn Vegan, Metal Injection, Exclaim!, Metal Sucks, The PRP, New Noise, MXDWN, and more. Later this year, Perturbator will embark on a headlining tour of the UK and Europe—which sees him playing his biggest venues to date—including London, UK’s 02 Forum Kentish Town and two nights at Paris’ La Bataclan; a full itinerary is listed below and tickets are on-sale HERE. “Age of Aquarius” is available for pre-order HERE

On “Age of Aquarius”, Perturbator offers up a more propulsive spin on his moody early work, showcasing his most confident, plainly beautiful, and thematically refined music to date. Where his previous album, 2021’s “Lustful Sacraments”, was about bad habits and addiction, his sixth LP – mastered by Jaime Gomez Arellano (Ghost, Opeth) and also featuring Alcest, Author & Punisher and Greta Link – explores how individualism, conflict, and war are interrelated and dominant societal forces. Both brutal and sublime, “Age of Aquarius” feels like the musical equivalent of a scream into the existential void.

Kent intentionally chooses very evocative song titles since most of his tracks lack lyrics and primarily convey mood through instrumentals. “I like to think of every album as a movie,” he says. “The tracks are all scenes from that one big movie.” The most brutal scene, then, is ‘The Art of War,‘ which ranks among Kent’s hardest-hitting songs; its vivid, forceful production attests to the two and a half years he spent tirelessly mastering and elevating his signature style (he wrote, recorded, performed, produced, and mixed the record himself, minus the guest vocals and lyrics). The track embodies the very sound of going into battle, and it could well be the album’s thesis. “It’s more of war as an idea than a concrete event,” Kent says about the LP’s subject matter. It’s no surprise his distinct style of electronic body music (EBM)–built on a DNA of post-punk, goth, and techno influences–has widely appealed to fans of new wave, industrial, and metal alike (his recent collaborators and tourmates HEALTH are an apt comparison).

We might always be in conflict as a species – with others and ourselves – but with “Age of Aquarius”, Kent provides its fantastic score. 

PRE-ORDER / PRE-SAVE “AGE OF AQUARIUS”:
https://perturbator.bfan.link/age-of-aquarius

STREAM ‘THE SWIMMING POOL‘:
https://perturbator.bfan.link/the-swimming-pool

WATCH THE VISUALIZER FOR ‘THE SWIMMING POOL‘:

Tracklist:

01. Apocalypse Now (Ft. Ulver)
02. Lunacy
03. Venus (Ft. Author & Punisher)
04. The Glass Staircase
05. Hangover Square
06. The Art of War
07. 12th House
08. Lady Moon (Ft. Greta Link)
09. The Swimming Pool
10. Mors Ultima Ratio
12. Age of Aquarius (Ft. Alcest)

PERTURBATOR UK & EUROPEAN HEADLINE TOUR 2025
w/ support form KÆLAN MIKLA and GOST.

05.11 – FR, Nantes – Stereolux
06.11 – FR, Lille – Aeronef
07.11 – UK, London – O2 Forum Kentish Town
08.11 – UK, Manchester – Damnation Festival
11.11 – AT, Vienna – Arena
12.11 – HU, Budapest – Dürer Kert
13.11 – CZ, Prague – SaSaZu
14.11 – DE, Berlin – Huxleys
17.11 – LT, Vilnius – Loftas
19.11 – FI, Helsinki – Kulttuuritalo
21.11 – SE, Stockholm – Fallan
22.11 – DK, Copenhagen – The Grey Hall
23.11 – NO, Oslo – Rockefeller
25.11 – DE, Hamburg – Gruenspan
26.11 – NL, Nijmegen – Doornroosje
27.11 – BE, Brussels – Ancienne Belgique
28.11 – DE, Cologne – Live Music Hall
29.11 – FR, Meisenthal – La Boite Noire
01.12 – DE, Munich – Muffathalle
02.12 – SO, Ljubljana – Kino Šiška
03.12 – IT, Milan – Live Club
04.12 – CH, Lausanne – Les Docks
05.12 – FR, Paris – Le Bataclan
06.12 – FR, Paris – Le Bataclan

Tickets for all dates are on sale now from perturbator.com