Datagun is looking for that perfect balance, the moment of divine intersection between noise and beauty, knowing that waves of noise can often be the most beautiful thing around. But this band is also concerned with pop melodies and hypnotic patterns. Armed with a minmal set of tools — a drum machine, a guitar, and a couple of keyboards — Datagun’s three members build their songs around simple pounding beats and erratic washes of guitar and synthesizer static. Embracing the valley-peak dynamics of post-rock, the insistent pulse of dance music,  and the haunting vocals of British 80’s post-punk, Datagun are among Iowa City’s most curious bands, spending as much time taking notes when the biggest bands come through town as they do dipping their faces into the mud of experimental basement shows.

Datagun formed in early 2008 during one of Iowa’s coldest, most brutal winters. Sliding along the ice-covered roads to band practices, house shows, and local bars, the band developed and discussed their sound. After playing several DIY shows and a few club gigs, the band established themselves on the Iowa City scene, sharing the stage with indie rock bands (Handsome Furs), experimental pop acts (Casiotone for the Painfully Alone), and noise bands (HEALTH). After a run of shows with garage-rockers The Blacks, Datagun went into the studio in early 2009 to record an album, with Mission Freak’s house engineer, Patrick Stolley (co-founder of Daytrotter). The session, cut in a few days, mostly live, captures the band from all of its angles: noisy, pop, dark, and personal. The album is called WILD and is due out on Misison Freak Records in July 2009. Datagun hits the road for their first US Tour this summer.

Download: Datagun - Cadaver Dog

Download: Datagun - The Musical