Brainwasher

Trip Hop | Psychedelic Rock

Brainwasher (Oklahoma City) is the brainchild of Matthew Duckworth Kirksey (vocals, drums, keyboards, sampler) and Tommy McKenzie (guitar, bass, keyboards, sampler), known for their involvement in celebrated acts such as The Flaming Lips, Miley Cyrus, Brothers Griiin, Beachy Head, and Net. The pair offers a meddled strain of trip-hop, touching on industrial, new wave, and shoegaze, in encapsulating stripped-down, psyched-out songs that connect directly with the lizard brain. Their debut full-length album, 39 Lightyears from Heaven, drops on October 24th, 2025 under Montréal boutique imprint Mothland.

For the better part of 15 years, Matthew and Tommy have been touring the world, sharing the stage with the likes of Tame Impala, Devo, Dinosaur Jr., Modest Mouse, and Echo & the Bunnymen, all the while taking part in prestigious events such as Glastonbury, Osheaga, and Bonnaroo. They also appear on countless records, including Miley Cyrus’ Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz, The Flaming Lips’ American Head, Oczy Mlody, and Live At Red Rocks, as well as Stardeath and White Dwarfs’ Wastoid and The Birth, just to name a few. Over the years, Brainwasher is the one thing they kept coming back to. Songs from forthcoming 39 Lightyears from Heaven kept bubbling up and permeating through the cracks of their psyche. The resulting album is their ode to the unique art of Portishead, The Bad Seeds, and David Lynch. It’s the expression of their love for songwriters like Willie Nelson and Neil Young. It’s rooted deep in their red dirt home of Oklahoma. It’s their purest interpretation of a life in music. 

Though Brainwasher have 35 years of touring experience between the two of them, they are yet to unveil the project live. That being said, Matthew and Tommy promise a mix of bleak hypnotic soundscapes, ethereal vocals, and driving percussion, that allow the audience to be mutually disorientated and entertained. To support their patented blend of rock and electronica, the pair are to bring along artist Zac Cox, who will be providing live visuals, further tickling that reptilian grey matter of yours. Tour dates are to be announced along the release of “At Least It Beats an Actor” (July 18th, 2025 via Mothland), the lead single off 39 Lightyears from Heaven.

CONTACT:
PHIL@MOTHLAND.COM

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