- SHXCXCHCXSH's music combines gritty noise and dark textures until it sounds like it's set in stone. But even with this kind of weight, each release manages to find a new direction, whether it's by removing drums, adding reverb or building eerily hypnotic loops. Where last year's album for Avian worked mostly with abstract constructions, Rösten 1, the first record for the Swedish duo's label of the same name, adds pulsing drums to murky walls of sound.
Each track uses the same grey and industrial palette, but they cover an impressive range of sounds. "Stämma #1" is subtle yet potent, with hissy loops that morph into a powerful grind. "Stämma #2" is deeper, with rippling synths and downtrodden chords that surge over submerged drums. Both are distinctly immersive—the first for its mind games, the second for its emotion. The final two tracks are heavier. "Stämma #3" is thudding techno made ethereal with human voices. "Stämma #4," with its precision drums and elastic bass tones, isn't as magnetic, but it still crackles with SHXCXCHCXSH's singular touch.
TracklistA1 Stämma #1
A2 Stämma #2
B1 Stämma #3
B2 Stämma #4