Aussie Band Makes History With World First

An Australian band has become the first in history to release an album in the form of a conspiracy theory.

KINGSCLIFF, NSW, AUSTRALIA, July 22, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- An Australian band has achieved a worldwide first with the release of their debut album in a format which challenges the modern music industry and its future direction.

The Medicine Hat Conspiracy, based on the Gold Coast and led by singer/songwriter Shawn Durkin, has become the first band in history to release an album in the form of a conspiracy theory.

"This started out as a lockdown project but as it went on there was a bittersweet edge to it," said Shawn.

"We were really proud of the songs we were writing but at the same time we knew there was little chance they would ever be heard by a wide audience. We're not social media superstars, there are very few venues supporting original music and the songs don't sound like what the industry is promoting.

"At the same time we were talking a lot about conspiracy theories, the effect these made-up stories were having on society and how easily they were spreading.

"One day I had the thought that tying the music to a conspiracy theory would be a great way to get it out and the idea grew from there.

"Digital music means that an album can be anything where you can put a QR code or hyperlinks - a t-shirt, a sticker, a website, why not a conspiracy theory?"

The conspiracy Shawn came up with, which can be read in full at themedicinehatconspiracy.com, involves a secret meeting held in the early 2000s where the world's (at that time) five major music corporations, faced with the rise of digital music and the collapse of their business model of manufacturing and selling CDs and records, decided there was only one way to save themselves and stay profitable. They had to kill off rock and roll.

Throughout the text on the website there are hyperlinks which, when clicked, go to the band's songs, making this the first time an album has been released as a conspiracy theory.

The songs draw on a variety of influences including REM, Midnight Oil and Counting Crows, harkening back to the days when rock and roll was king and bands were the main event. Highlights of the album include the soaring atmospherics of Icarus to the global warming-themed anthem A Better Way and the pirate sea shanty Whiskey, Guns and Bullets.

"We've reached a point with music where the determining factor for success is not the quality of the artist at their craft but rather how well they can promote themselves on social media, and I just think there's something fundamentally wrong with that," said Shawn.

"The corporations who run the music industry used to be about scouting for talent, nurturing artists and bringing their work to market but those days are gone and there are many great musicians around the world who will never get the accolades they deserve.

"Sands are shifting though, as they are with many things, and music as an art form is going nowhere."

The Medicine Hat Conspiracy's debut, self-titled album is now available on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and all major streaming sites.

For further comment please contact Shawn Durkin on 0405 481 346 or by email at themedicinehatconspiracy@gmail.com.
Photo credit to Mark Watterson. Landscape caption (l-r) Mick Cronly, Jason Baggio, Jorge Pereira, Steve Savage. Portrait caption (clockwise from front left) Shawn Durkin, Jason Baggio, Jorge Pereira, Steve Savage, Mick Cronly.

Shawn Durkin
The Medicine Hat Conspiracy
+61 405 481 346
shawnmdurkin@gmail.com

Whiskey, Guns and Bullets by the Medicine Hat Conspiracy