Faultline – Closer Colder

Moody and beautiful, Faultline's debut CLOSER COLDER mixes elegance with stunning strength, as immediately evident by "Awake," which alternates waves of feedback noise with careful cello lines or the reversed vocal bits and disembodied laughs on “Tiny Consumer.” The mournful trumpet of “Mute” seems to pierce the air, sharp and poignant. A delicate melancholy seeped into all of the tracks on this album, and even if a quiet moment like “Papercut” is interrupted by wild blasts of rhythm, the sadness always reasserts itself. The classical elegance of the title track seems only more stately when paired with a reverberating beat. “Partyline Honey,” one highlight among many, manages to be both creepy and sleazy, like someone you never want to pick up in a bar. Chilly and stunning.

This is a great album. Accessible enough to keep you listening short term but plenty of depth to it. Tripped out beats mixing intimate electronic soundscapes with warmer but melancholic parts from harmonica and trumpet. Sounds like the sonic backdrop to a disconnected and cold urban dystopia.