Attrition

Attrition are an English electronic music band from Coventry, United Kingdom, active since 1980. They work across ambient, dark ambient, dark wave, EBM, electro-industrial and gothic rock, and are associated with darker strands of electronica, industrial music and gothic styles.

History and style

Formed in Coventry in 1980, Attrition emerge from the early 1980s UK industrial scene. Their music develops out of a mix of punk ideology and experimental art aesthetics, and they appear alongside other acts from that period such as Coil, Test Department, Legendary Pink Dots, In the Nursery and Portion Control.

Martin Bowes leads the group, and the line-up also includes Chris Bowes, Julia Waller, Ashley Niblock and Laurie Reade.

Releases, collaborations and media use

Over their career, Attrition release a long sequence of albums and appear on a wide range of compilations, benefit records and soundtrack projects. Their music appears on Crass Records’ Bullshit Detector compilation, on the Animal Liberation album alongside artists including Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Smiths, Nina Hagen and Lene Lovich, and on KTEL’s industrial music compilation Industrial Story, where the track “Acid Tongue” features. Their darkwave track “A Girl Called Harmony” is included in Orkus magazine’s Best of the 90s collection.

The band’s work is remixed by underground artists from several genres, including Chris n Cosey, Martin Atkins, Dance or Die and UK drum and bass act Rascal & Klone. They also collaborate with a wide range of musicians, among them The Legendary Pink Dots, TV Smith and Franck Dematteis of the Paris Opera.

Film and soundtrack work

Attrition’s music appears in film soundtracks, and the group regularly tours Europe, North America and Mexico. Martin Bowes also carries out studio production work, including mixes for The Damage Manual, Die Form, In the Nursery, Black Tape for a Blue Girl and Emilie Autumn. He contributes a song to a Pigface album and records the narrator’s voice for the US horror film C for Chaos.

The band’s film-related work includes Invocation, described as its first full-length film score, composed for the US cult horror film G.H.O.S.T. Attrition also have songs placed in the US cult film Mint in Box.

Notable material

Among the tracks and releases linked to the band are “Acid Tongue”, “A Girl Called Harmony”, “Bullshit Detector”, “Animal Liberation”, Invocation and The Unraveller of Angels. Attrition’s catalogue is associated with the wider industrial and dark electronic underground, and their work continues from their formation in 1980 through to the present.