Since their last album Anxiety Always, Adult. seem to have slid deeper into gritty electro punk territory. They have clearly been busy sharpening their edges to become even more spiky and nastier than ever. Adult’s beats once capable of working dancefloors have become an awkward 4/4 funhouse stutter designed to encourage a violent pogo more than anything else. Adam Lee Miller’s crisp electronic arrangements have devolved into the buzz of primitive sine waves derived from analogue synth abuse. Nicola Kuperus is no longer an icy cool femme fatale/dominatrix, rather her screams and high-pitched yelps are now comparable to the vocal stylings of Lena Lovich, Siouxie Sioux and even Poly Styrene. Meanwhile, the outfits latest recruit Sam Consiglio adds muscular bass and guitar textures that bring to mind Bauhaus’ signature riffery. Referencing musical influences from the eighties, Adult outclass most new wave, punk funk, post punk and no wave revivalists with a fresh aggressive sound that makes most new electro punk sound like bland plastic pop that has merely adopted a bit of pub rock attitude. Gimmie Trouble is an ugly angst driven squall of raw, edgy electro noir noise, underscored by an amusing but highly developed sense of absurdist humour. At times Adult become harsh and unnecessarily inaccessible and it is with a touch of Clockwork Orange that the threat of violence lingers. If your idea of fun is furious robotic dancing to music that’s dirty, trashy and has been roughed up with a little punk attitude, then this album is for you.
(Guido Farnell)
*
