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How one girl's fan art turned into a supergroup's merch

The Giraffe Tongue Orchestra—the supergroup created by Dillinger Escape Plan guitarist/founder Ben Weinman—will finally have their debut album, Broken Lines, released September 23 via Weinman’s Party Smasher Inc. imprint. In addition to the core lineup of Weinman, Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds, Alice In Chains vocalist William DuVall, bassist Pete Griffin (Dethklok, Zappa Plays Zappa) and Thomas Pridgen (ex-Mars Volta), the album features the participation of drummer Jon Theodore (Queens Of The Stone Age) and vocalist/actress Juliette Lewis (The Licks). It’s been a long time coming for the GTO project, which originally started back in 2011, with a few members running in and out of the band’s psychic revolving door. GTO’s vibe carries the same high musicianship one would expect from a lineup with this lineage, but not at the expense of nuanced songwriting—which clearly explains the five-year incubation/working process. The first new GTO track, “Crucifixion,” is available now. 

After working so hard on the project, Weinman was at a loss on what kind of visual aspect should accompany it. Having no specific ideas in mind, he took a different route, recruiting a fan to design GTO’s merchandise. Holland-based Dewi Plass is an artist who’s been a fan of Dillinger for years, traveling the world by herself to see the band play. “She always told me that I had inspired her,” says the guitarist. “And that Party Smasher [Weinman’s art and culture-focused website] had inspired her to pursue art, but it’s hard in Holland to get exposure. So I told her that GTO had no merchandise and that we wanted to do special designs for all the people who have been waiting so long for this ‘rumored band.'” Weinman gave her two song titles (“Thieves And Whores,” “Fragments And Ashes”) as inspiration points. “I knew those words might be challenging for a quiet girl from a small Dutch town,” he says. “But she blew my fucking mind with her hand-painted work.” Plass’ GTO designs may be pre-ordered with Broken Lines and other bundles here. Check out Plass' work below.