Track Of The Day HOLLOW REFLECTION
A brand new dynamic and intriguing darkwave band popped up recently based in Amsterdam called Stray Cats, (actually HOLLOW REFLECTION) the same name of the mighty ‘runaway boys’ legends from England, with Eastern European origins, namely Bulgarian.
The enigmatic duo have dropped their first two demo tracks out of an EP called “Demotion”, our pick “Pleasures” and a tribute to the legendary Bulgarian cold-wave band Нова Генерация (New Generation), both an intoxicating killer marriage of rumbling sinister mechanical EBM rhythms and urgent dark post-punk turmoil, ably combining the raw physicality of the former with the angsty punk attitude of the latter, that grabbed me instantly.
Equally interesting and ‘straight to the point’ are the lyrics that unravel feelings of overwhelming helplessness, strife, and broken dreams in a world lost to mass consumer-capitalist gain, laced with abuse and neglect of power.
Minimal, hypnotic, and direct, sounds like DAF fronted by Anne Marie Hurst (of Skeletal Family and Ghost Dance), with a sharp anti-capitalistic stance, “Pleasures” dishes out unremitting thunderous crunching snare hits, interspersed by sparse turbulent bursting effects and guttural cries, to underpin a menacing steady prominent bassline that gurgles and throbs frenetically, awash in desolate icily glowing electronic flows, to fuel a restless, claustrophobic sense of estrangement and dystopian darkness, while meandering obsessively bleak synth stabs pierce emotionless female vocals to fade and blur detached control, through a chaotic haze of systemic oppression.
More demo songs will follow soon, keep an eye on HOLLOW REFLECTION, even if I’m not sure their name will last long.
