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Singled Out: Afflicted By Design's This Is Not A Love Song


. Today Sebastian from Texan industrial metal band Afflicted By Design tells us about their brand new version of Public Image Ltd's "This Is Not A Love Song," which is the second single from the band's cover song project. Here is the story:

Before I started Afflicted By Design I had always been the bass player in the band. I love playing bass, and have been playing bass since I was a young teen, but I wanted to try something different. Inspired by Tim Skold when he did Shotgun Messiah and Skold, I decided to put down the bass and try my hand at writing my own songs, being the lead singer and playing guitar. Like Skold I wrote and recorded an Ep, but I didn't realize how difficult it was to write lyrics. The music for the next Afflicted By Design EP is all recorded, but the lyrics� not so much.

So, while I'm writing lyrics for the next Afflicted By Design EP, I thought recording cover songs would be a good way to learn how other bands approach lyrics, while giving me time to complete work on the new, original songs. When I decided I was going to do covers, I decided that the songs had to be meaningful. The bands and songs that Afflicted By Design covers had to have influenced and inspired me as both as a musician and a fan.

Recording the single "This Is Not A Love Song" was special for a couple reasons. First, I am a huge fan of Public Image Ltd. Most people listen to PIL because of Johnny Rotten and the Sex Pistols, but for me PIL came first, and "This Is Not A Love Song" was my introduction to the band and to the world of post-punk. One of the stories behind "This Is Not A Love Song" says that after releasing 3 albums, John Lydon was approached by the record company and was told that they need to write a hit and it should be a love song. "This Is Not A Love Song" was a middle finger to the record company and turned out to be a hit single for the band.

Secondly, "This Is Not A Love Song" reunited me with my former Otto's Daughter bandmates Jacqueline Van Bierk and Jim Robbins. Otto's Daughter was a cyber-pop industrial band I played with in the beginning of the 2000s. Since leaving the band we've remained friends, and every time we see each other Jacqueline and I talk about playing together. When I started recording "This Is Not A Love Song" I immediately thought that it would be perfect for Jacqueline and Jim. I've played with many bands but I don't think I ever formed such close friendships, and had so much in common, and had as much fun, as I did with Otto's Daughter. It was a special privilege for me to play with them again.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the album right here!

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