KAI CULT “SHEER CONTROL” debut Album RELEASE

Cover art | Press Photography | CD design Process

SHEER CONTROL was developed around the idea of creating an album that felt discovered rather than produced. Drawing from the visual culture of late-'90s and early-2000s alternative music—including grunge, nu-metal, Y2K electronica and underground rave scenes—the photography references the atmosphere of the era without relying on nostalgia alone. Shot across both 35mm and 120 medium format film, the project embraces the imperfections of analogue photography—grain, halation, soft contrast and subtle colour shifts—to create imagery that feels tactile, intimate and suspended somewhere between memory and fiction. The result is a visual identity that pays homage to a defining period of music culture while establishing a world uniquely its own.

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CD Graphic design & PACKAGING

Alongside the photography, I designed the CD packaging for SHEER CONTROL, developing a series of packaging mockups for the album's forthcoming physical release. Inspired by late-'90s and early-2000s case packaging, the design explores the CD as a complete object rather than simply a cover image, considering everything from the spine and tray card to the interaction between the artwork and transparent plastic case. Simulated scratches, restrained typography and generous negative space evoke the feeling of a well-worn record that's been collected and shared over time, extending the project's analogue sensibility into a physical format while reinterpreting the rituals of early Y2K music culture through a contemporary lens.

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ALBUM CREDITS

  1. SENSE V2
    co-written by Greg Rietwyk & Van Willis

  2. YOUR DEMISE

  3. SET TO FAIL

  4. FULLMOON ft. Lui Surreal
    co-written with Lui Surreal

  5. ORIEVE

  6. STROBELIGHTS
    co-written with Madeleine Lucas

  7. SHEER CONTROL
    co-written with Cleo Benzon & Cian Bennet

  8. PEOPLE AND THEIR MONEY

  9. CONSUMER DISCLAIMER
    Co-written with Luka Janicijevic
    Additional guitars by Henry Barratt

  10. OVERLOADING
    co-written with Cleo Benzon

All songs produced and mixed by Kai Cult, Mastered by Luka Janicijevic

Creative Direction, Photography & Graphic Design by Thomas Molan