Technology moves fast. Music inspired by, and that samples from technology, however, doesn’t always progress as quickly. Excluding Horchata, a joint-band split with The Glowing Stars in 2012, Milwaukee chiptune trio Awkward Terrible hasn’t released anything since 2011’s 16-bit symphony I Feel Asleep. Excluding a prominent slot at this year’s Midwest Gaming Classic, the band hasn’t even played out exceptionally often. Fittingly, the band that occasionally utilizes a Commodore 64 to provide its bit-based backing is informally announcing its comeback with a music video for a song called “Return.”

The video is part Tekken-meets-Troma, as drummer-singer Sam Sieger is repeatedly run down by a car driven by keyboardist/guitrist/Game Boy-player Chris Kowall and bass-playing passenger Sam Gehrke in a series of downtown Milwaukee and remote Bay View settings, until the tables are turned during what sounds like the most difficult castle level you’ve ever attempted. The video was shot by Anthony Schneidewind, and both directed and edited by Sergio Espino. “Return” embodies half of a two-song Badlands EP Awkward Terrible will release on its Bandcamp page on July 18. Worry not, it won’t take another four years for the video game band to spawn another release. A longer EP is slated for the fall.

About The Author

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Co-Founder and Editor

Before co-founding Milwaukee Record, Tyler Maas wrote for virtually every Milwaukee publication (except Wassup! Magazine). He lives in Bay View and enjoys both stuff and things.