Adult.

Adam Lee Miller and Nicola Kuperus comprise the duo Adult., which transforms existential anxiety into sound and imagery that veers between humorous and experimental yet stays perpetually dark. Their serrated synths, rhythms, and Kuperus’ piercing sneer formed the core of the project’s sound, which opened with the electro-techno explorations of early EPs plus the 2001 album Resuscitation before later incorporating punk, darkwave, industrial, and noise elements across releases including 2003’s Anxiety Always and 2007’s Why Bother?. The pair later broadened their reach through ambitious endeavors rooted in their art-school background, such as a trilogy of horror movies and the 2017 collaborative album Detroit House Guests, though even the leaner and more dance-oriented material on 2018’s This Behavior and 2022’s Becoming Undone continued to highlight Adult.’s experimental and conceptual approach.

Kuperus and Miller established the electro-techno label Ersatz Audio in 1995, issuing material from acts such as Artificial Material and Le Car, the latter a duo that also featured Ian Clark. Miller first collaborated with Kuperus in 1998, initially recording together as Plasma Co. on the obscure 12" “Modern Romantics.” Later that year they adopted the name Adult. and introduced the project via the Dispassionate Furniture EP that November. In the ensuing years they put out EPs such as 1999’s Entertainment and 2000’s New Phonies, a Clone release that first showcased Kuperus’ foreboding photographic style, which soon became a signature element across Adult. releases. Following the additional 12" EP Nausea and a compilation appearance on The Forgotten Sounds of Tomorrow with the tracks “Silent Property” and “Human Wreck,” Ersatz Audio issued the debut album Resuscitation in 2001; although most tracks derived from prior releases, chiefly 12" EPs, several appeared in versions or mixes exclusive to the album.

At this stage Adult. had gained recognition inside the techno underground, while live shows—including a notable performance at the first Detroit Electronic Music Festival—expanded their reach. In 2002 the duo issued the remix EP Misinterpreted and the 7" single “Limited Edition” ahead of the second album, 2003’s Anxiety Always, which introduced guitar and bass to the synth foundation. Miller and Kuperus supported Anxiety Always with European and U.S. tours throughout 2003, then largely stepped back from public view for much of 2004. Upon returning, Adult. operated as a trio with guitarist Samuel Consiglio. The expanded lineup debuted on Thrill Jockey in 2005 with the D.U.M.E. EP and the full-length Gimmie Trouble, both of which foregrounded the rock dimensions of the band’s music. After touring behind Gimmie Trouble, Miller and Kuperus paused before reemerging in 2007 with the Thrill Jockey album Why Bother?, a noisy collection that restored the project to duo format. Following worldwide performances and the limited-edition Decampment series of singles, Kuperus and Miller released the Let’s Feel Bad Together EP in 2008.

Adult. then entered an extended recording hiatus during which they produced the horror-film trilogy The Three Grace(s) Triptych, restored a historic Detroit commercial building, and pursued additional visual-art work. By 2012 the duo felt prepared to record and perform once more, releasing the “Cover(s)” single on Ghostly late that year. Their fifth album—and perhaps their most accessible—The Way Things Fall appeared on the label in May 2013. Later that year they issued the “Work/Wreck” 12", the first Ersatz Audio release in five years. After receiving a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation grant in 2014, Adult. realized a longstanding ambition by hosting artists in residence; they welcomed Nitzer Ebb’s Douglas J. McCarthy, Swans’ Michael Gira, Light Asylum’s Shannon Funchess, and others to live and collaborate for several weeks. The outcome was Detroit House Guests, issued by Mute in March 2017. Later that year the duo’s first live album, Live at Third Man Records, and an EP of Detroit House Guests remixes followed.

The next September Adult. made their Dais Records debut with This Behavior, a collection of hard-edged, danceable tracks captured while sequestered in a Northern Michigan cabin during winter. For April 2020’s Perception Is/As/Of Deception the pair employed sensory deprivation to shape the album’s trippy yet aggressive songs. That September Adult. joined Planet B—the duo of Justin Pearson and Luke Henshaw—on “Release Me,” a track that previewed the themes of death and impermanence Kuperus and Miller pursued further on their subsequent album. Recorded from late 2020 into the following year, February 2022’s Becoming Undone addressed the death of Kuperus’ father, the disconnection wrought by the COVID-19 global pandemic, and key influences including Test Department and Throbbing Gristle.