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Reviews

Antistatic — Relics
(Cuneiform Rune, 2024, CD / DL)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2024-03-07

Relics Cover art

Kind of an odd title for a band’s debut album; relics usually come later when there are some forgotten pieces that didn’t make it to the regular albums, but it is what it is. Antistatic is a Danish four-piece of two guitars, bass, and drums sporting a sound that would have to be considered as much for its rhythms as it is for its lack of melodies, simmering as it does through almost every one of the album’s nine tracks. One could call it math rock, I suppose, but there’s not really a lot of rock there either. It’s almost as if the players are all in competition with one another to see who can lay down the most interesting and engaging grooves, bouncing off one another; from the listener’s perspective it’s like trying to analyze a gordian knot by only viewing it externally without the knowledge that comes from disassembling it. Within a band situation, such a task might normally be limited to the bass and drums, creating a mystifying complexity while other players concentrate on melodies and textures, but throughout Relics those melodies and textures are, for the most part not there, as every band member works intently on creating an ongoing rhythmic skeleton. One might suspect — but only for a minute — that the complexity at hand was created through looping, after all on any given track it’s difficult to figure out what time signature these guys are playing in; often it sounds like multiple times are overlaid on to p of one another as each piece slowly develops — it’s absolutely fascinating. After a few intent listens it becomes clear that their sound isn’t created through loops, there are too many irregularities at hand, not perfect enough to be loops. There are longer pieces that run in the four to six minute range and feature quite a bit of ongoing development, while several others are merely vignettes that make a quick statement and are gone before you know it, under a minute or two; the opener “Angels vs. Peasants” and “Loading...” are among the former, while the finest example of the latter may be the closer “Hive II,” a truly engaging piece at just over two minutes. All taken, Antistatic’s sound is probably a little reminiscent of Sonar or Akku Quintet at their most energetic, and while they clearly have their own groove patterns going that differentiate them from the others, their sound should generally appeal to fans of those bands.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Antistatic

More info
http://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com/album/relics-2

 

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