National Music Reviews
Binary
Amber EP
Self-Released
Street: 04.25
Binary = Joy Division x (NIN + Radiohead)
Deeply layered and grungy post-goth indie-rock, this five-track EP is like a postcard from a downgraded northern town in England, postmarked 1989. Intelligent––vox/guitarist David Troster studied molecular biology at Yale––and haunting, tracks like “G.O.D.,” with its strange and compelling video, and “You Need the Blue Key” evoke a sadness that is hard to put into words. Despite the dark ambiance, there’s a sense of electronic cleanliness beneath the surface––a marriage of clean, spare, modern metallic lines with a careful layer of rust lacing the surface and eating its way to the music’s soul. It’s gorgeous stuff. –Madelyn Boudreaux