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Aesthetic Perfection’s Daniel Graves is not one to allow himself, or his music, to stagnate. On the new album, ‘Til Death, we find an artist who, despite an overwhelming outcry for a return an earlier sound, refuses to conform to anyone's expectations. The sound of the 10 tracks on 'Til Death runs from the IAMX-tinged swagger of "Showtime," to the eerie, almost Depeche Mode vocal patterns of "Lovesick", to the hook-laden dark pop of "Oh, Gloria!"; 'Til Death shows Graves at his diverse best.
Prior to the release of 'Til Death, Aesthetic Perfection ambitiously released three drastically different singles and videos: "Antibody," "The Dark Half," and "Big Bad Wolf". In true AP fashion, taken individually, none of the singles give the listener more than an inkling of what to expect from the full LP. But when taken as a whole, the three tracks encapsulate the essence of what to expect from ‘Til Death: beautiful, haunting and eclectic.
Grave's debut, Close to Human (2005) was the first release on the newly formed Bractune Records label. Upon analysis of the material it became clear that he had completed two albums with distinctive identities. Though not quite ”Aesthetic Perfection", a one-off album of Close To Human outtakes entitled Blood Spills Not Far From The Wound was released under the nome-de-plume Necessary Response. The albums were licensed for European release to German darkwave powerhouse Out of Line. Numerous live performances followed and the band made its European debut at the famed Wave Gotik Treffen Festival in Leipzig, Germany. With the success of the WGT performance, Aesthetic Perfection was offered a slot on the annual Out of Line tour, which put the young band squarely on the radar of the ever-scrutinous German club scene.
Inspired by his European success, Grave’s relocated to Berlin to work on the follow up. He spent all of 2006 and most of 2007 touring across Europe while continuing to work on new material. Shortly after a second move, this time to Salzburg, Austria, Grave’s completed work on A Violent Emotion, his second album.
Written between 2009 and 2011, Grave's 3rd Aesthetic Perfection album All Beauty Destroyed saw Graves pushing his own boundaries, limits and conceptions of what Aesthetic Perfection is supposed to be. This album proved to be the darkest, most melodic and dynamic piece of work Graves created up to that point.
With each new release Daniel has shown artistic growth and a fearless approach to songwriting. The result is something all too rare in music; an artist who has developed a unique, recognizable sound, but has escaped the trappings of clichéd formulaic songwriting. Aesthetic Perfection is best in Grave's words "I make music because it is the only thing I know how to do. Writing about my every day struggles is what keeps me sane... some people seem to relate to that. If not, fuck it, I'd still be doing this if no one listened.
