Aesthetic Perfection: Revisiting Industrial Origins with the Reissue of ‘Closer to Human’

On June 20, 2025, ‘Closer to Human’ will return to circulation, reissued by Dependent Records in a new series of formats that reflect both the historical weight and contemporary relevance of the work. Originally released in 2005 under the title ‘Close to Human,’ the album marked Aesthetic Perfection’s emergence within the industrial and electronic body music (EBM) spheres. This 2025 edition—subtly renamed ‘Closer to Human’—is not a mere reprint but a careful reconstruction that reexamines the original material with updated audio fidelity and extended artistic oversight.

Issued in three physical formats, the reissue includes a standard single-disc CD in a cardboard digisleeve, a double-disc CD digipak with expanded materials for collectors, and a colored vinyl edition that aligns with the genre’s longstanding appreciation for analog presentation. Each version has been curated to appeal to different segments of the audience, from longstanding followers of the project to newer listeners encountering Aesthetic Perfection’s earlier catalog for the first time. The release also coincides with renewed activity from the band and its founder, Daniel Graves, as Aesthetic Perfection embarks on a tour alongside Rammstein’s Till Lindemann—a move that positions the band within broader discussions about the industrial genre’s current global reach.

The decision to reissue ‘Closer to Human’ through Dependent Records—rather than the band’s independent Close to Human Records label—further anchors the project within the European synth and industrial music markets. The collaboration reflects a strategic alignment with a label known for its catalog of dark electronic acts, reinforcing the album’s place in the early 2000s industrial canon while updating its presentation for 2025 standards.

Band History

Aesthetic Perfection was founded in 2000 by Daniel Graves in Los Angeles, emerging at a time when North American industrial and electronic body music were in a process of redefinition. Graves, acting as the band’s sole permanent member, built the project on a foundation of harsh electronics, distorted vocals, and lyrical introspection, initially aligning with the aggrotech movement before gradually evolving toward a more melodic and synth-laden sound. Over the course of two decades, Aesthetic Perfection has developed a body of work that balances club sensibilities with conceptual depth, situating the band among the most adaptable entities within the modern industrial music spectrum.

The project’s relocation to Linz, Austria, in later years marked a significant shift in both logistical base and creative outlook, reflecting Graves’s growing ties to the European electronic music scene. From this new geographic position, Aesthetic Perfection deepened its international presence, cultivating a dedicated following through rigorous touring schedules and cross-border collaborations. While genre classifications such as synthpop and EBM frequently frame the band’s catalogue, the sonic direction has remained fluid—responsive to both personal experimentation and broader stylistic currents within the scene.

Key albums such as ‘A Violent Emotion’ (2008) and ‘All Beauty Destroyed’ (2011) expanded the band’s visibility, with the former gaining traction in underground clubs and the latter marking a turning point in production scale and vocal delivery. By the release of ‘Into the Black’ in 2019, Aesthetic Perfection had moved decisively into self-managed territory, releasing music independently under its own imprint, Close to Human Records. Prior affiliations with Metropolis Records in the United States and Out of Line Records in Europe had helped establish the band’s early profile, but subsequent releases reflected a strategic departure from label oversight in favor of direct-to-audience distribution.

This trajectory—from aggressive early experiments to a more refined and self-determined model—provides essential context for understanding the reissue of ‘Closer to Human’ in 2025. It is not only a revisitation of a debut but a summation of a career shaped by continual reinvention and international scope.

‘Closer to Human’ Release Information

The 2025 edition of ‘Closer to Human’ presents more than a remastered recording—it offers a complete technical and curatorial reconstruction of Aesthetic Perfection’s original debut. Graves returned to the foundational sessions with the intent to rebuild the tracks using the same hardware and source materials from the 2005 production, preserving the sonic architecture of the early recordings while applying present-day precision. This approach reflects a methodical process rather than nostalgic revival, aiming to reinforce the original artistic vision without compromising the textural density that defined the album’s first iteration.

Among the notable inclusions in the reissue is a previously unreleased master produced by the late Mike Wells of Gridlock, whose contributions to the industrial and IDM scenes remain significant. The track, which had not surfaced in prior editions, adds a historical layer to the project and underscores the interconnectedness of the early 2000s electronic underground. Alongside this archival material, the reissue includes a curated set of remixes by acts such as genCAB, XP8, UnterART, and [distatix], each offering reinterpretations that diverge stylistically while preserving the thematic focus of the source material.

The physical presentation of the reissue has also been updated to meet current archival and collector expectations. The limited double-disc CD version is housed in a premium gatefold digipak, accompanied by an eight-page booklet that features liner notes and artwork reflective of the album’s tone. For listeners seeking a more compact format, a single-disc edition is available in a cardboard digisleeve, maintaining design continuity while offering broader accessibility. These editions serve distinct purposes—archival completeness for longtime followers, and reintroduction for new listeners—positioning ‘Closer to Human’ as both a document of its era and a renewed cultural artifact.

Musical Style and Themes

At its core, ‘Closer to Human’ reflects Graves’s early attempt to interrogate the complexities of emotional perception and human interaction through the aggressive lens of electronic music. The album’s thematic architecture is centered on questions of identity, alienation, and the psychological residue of social expectation. These concerns are not treated abstractly; rather, they are embedded directly into the sonic fabric of the record, shaped by both its lyrical directness and its abrasive tonal character.

The album employs a fusion of harsh electro, EBM, and early industrial influences, with particular emphasis on rhythmic intensity and synthetic layering. Distorted vocals—delivered in a calculated, confrontational style—anchor much of the album’s tonal palette, conveying a sense of psychological immediacy that resists polish in favor of raw expression. The production balances percussive sharpness with programmed detail, resulting in a sound that is both tightly constructed and intentionally abrasive. While later Aesthetic Perfection works would explore melodic variation and genre hybridity, ‘Closer to Human’ remains one of the project’s most sonically austere and thematically concentrated offerings.

Several tracks from the reissue reaffirm the album’s original focus while highlighting its production’s enduring clarity. ‘I Belong to You,’ widely regarded as one of Graves’s most recognizable early compositions, juxtaposes lyrical vulnerability with mechanized ferocity. ‘Sacrifice’ expands this dynamic further, exploring personal submission and social control through minimalist structures and relentless pacing. ‘Arrested,’ another centerpiece of the release, intensifies the claustrophobic sensibility that runs through the album, drawing on dissonance and repetition to mirror psychological entrapment. Collectively, these compositions reveal a deliberate intent to situate emotional narrative within the conventions—and limitations—of the industrial form.

Cultural Relevance

Upon its original release in 2005, ‘Closer to Human’ emerged as a definitive statement within the evolving terrain of industrial and EBM music. At a time when the genre was navigating a shift from the analogue-heavy traditions of the 1990s toward a more digitally driven, club-oriented framework, Aesthetic Perfection’s debut aligned itself with a new generation of artists who embraced aggressive programming, emotional directness, and thematic urgency. The album’s stripped yet forceful compositions, rooted in the aesthetic of aggrotech but informed by broader stylistic fluency, situated it firmly within a transitional moment in the genre’s development.

The 2025 reissue does not merely revisit this historical context—it showcases the degree to which the genre has both evolved and remained tethered to its foundational concerns. The reconstructed tracks, while sonically updated, retain the skeletal urgency that first defined the record, highlighting the continuity of certain industrial tropes even as production methods have shifted. This persistence of form paired with retrospective insight allows ‘Closer to Human’ to operate simultaneously as a historical document and a present-day intervention, bridging past and current interpretations of industrial sound.

Beyond genre conventions, the album’s thematic content has gained new resonance in the present. The exploration of identity, conformity, and emotional volatility—once reflective of a subcultural perspective—now intersects with broader societal discourses on alienation and digital estrangement. For longtime listeners, the reissue offers an opportunity to reengage with a work that helped define the early shape of modern industrial music. For newer audiences, it presents a distilled version of the genre’s core provocations, unfiltered and unadorned. In this way, ‘Closer to Human’ endures not only as a milestone within Aesthetic Perfection’s catalogue but also as an emblem of industrial music’s capacity to reflect and refract the concerns of its time.

‘Closer to Human’ is now available for pre-order through several official outlets, reflecting a distribution strategy that combines accessibility with limited-edition exclusivity. Dependent Records, which is managing the release, has made the reissue available through its own direct-to-consumer platform, while additional allocations are being handled by the Out of Line Shop, a long-standing retailer within the European industrial and electronic music markets. In the United States and other regions, participating Record Store Day retailers are also offering select formats, integrating the reissue into a broader network of independent music sellers.

In keeping with the release’s archival framing, certain editions have been issued in restricted quantities. The double-disc CD digipak and colored vinyl variants, aimed at collectors and long-time followers of the project, are limited in number and expected to sell through in advance of the official release date. Standard formats such as the single-disc digisleeve are being distributed in wider circulation, ensuring that the album remains accessible to newer audiences and casual listeners. All editions are eligible for international shipping, and orders placed through official channels include region-specific fulfillment options to accommodate global demand. The careful segmentation of formats and retail points underscores the reissue’s dual intent: to preserve the integrity of a formative work while offering renewed entry points into Aesthetic Perfection’s early discography.

Current Tour and Live Set Focus

Coinciding with the reissue of ‘Closer to Human,’ Aesthetic Perfection is undertaking the Close to Violent tour, a limited run of performances highlighting early material through what is billed as an “Old School Electronic Set.” The tour began on March 14, 2025, in Munich, Germany, with several early dates—Munich, Berlin, and Hamburg—already sold out, underscoring sustained interest in the band’s foundational era.

With stops across Europe and North America, including Sheffield, Oberhausen, Parsippany, and Seattle, the tour emphasizes a focused return to the sonic and thematic aesthetics that shaped Aesthetic Perfection’s debut. While not exclusively tied to the reissue, the live set reinforces the band’s intent to reengage with its original sound and core audience, presenting selections from its earliest catalogue with minimal reinterpretation. The stripped-down electronic configuration aligns with the archival spirit of ‘Closer to Human,’ offering a live counterpart to the studio reconstruction.

Presented without elaborate staging or newer material, the tour repositions Graves as both performer and historian—foregrounding the project’s legacy within industrial music while inviting audiences to reconsider the early 2000s as a period of artistic and technological transition in electronic performance.

Conclusion

The 2025 reissue of ‘Closer to Human’ arrives at a time when the industrial and EBM genres are undergoing renewed scrutiny and reinvention. For Aesthetic Perfection, the release functions not only as a restoration of its debut but as a calibrated statement on the longevity and adaptability of electronic music forged in subcultural spaces. Daniel Graves’s decision to revisit the material through original hardware and archival elements, rather than reimagine it wholesale, reflects a commitment to preserving the historical texture of the work without obscuring its contemporary relevance.

More than a commemoration, the reissue is a carefully structured response to the dual demands of legacy and accessibility. Longtime listeners are presented with a version of the album that honors its initial urgency while offering expanded content and technical clarity. At the same time, newer audiences are introduced to a foundational text within the genre, now presented with the benefit of twenty years’ hindsight and refinement. By situating ‘Closer to Human’ within both its original moment and the current musical landscape, the release underscores the continued resonance of its themes and the durability of its form. In doing so, it reaffirms Aesthetic Perfection’s role not only as a participant in the evolution of industrial music, but as one of its more enduring and self-reflective architects.

What does Aesthetic Perfection mean to you? Whether a track, a tour moment, or a turning point—share your story. We welcome your reflections on how the band’s work has shaped your listening, challenged your expectations, or stayed with you over time.