- The first two EPs on AnD's self-titled label came out in 2012 and 2013, at the height of industrial techno fever. Their noxious overdriven drums and dissonant soundscaping snagged the apocalyptic zeitgeist. The Manchester duo have since remained doggedly loyal to that vibe while approaching it from various different angles: gothic drum & bass, whiplash electro, foreboding IDM and ambient. The duo's return to their AnD label doesn't reflect this diversity. Instead, it takes the sound of the first two records and turns it up to 11 The tempos run in the panic-inducing 140s and the slyer broken-beat grooves found on AnD001 and AnD002 give way to piledriving four-on-the-floor. Kick drums churn, hi-hats scythe, and panicked synths are milked for all they're worth. It's proficient rave gear, but it's not the duo at their most inspiring.
"Manchester" is the evilest of the lot, its synths shrilling like horror-score strings. The first half is hard as anything, after which live jam directionlessness creeps in. "Analogical" and "Transit" centre on arps that chunter, yammer and gasp for air under ten-ton drums. The latter has a satisfying Birmingham-style intensity, but the former's synths lurk too shyly behind the percussion. "Prophecy" offers a splash of majestic Detroit colour. It's a welcome bit of variation, but it's not quite enough.
TracklistA1 Manchester
A2 Analogical
B1 Prophecy
B2 Transit