Usually foreplay should last a little longer, but today it’s straight to the hurtin’ and squirtin’. We already know that the new Vatican Shadow album Remember Your Black Day will be airdropped upon the previously unsuspecting world come October. The question on everyone’s lips now is, “What will it sound like?” Are we in for more of the reliable VS doom, dirt, and beats? How consistent can an artist be before people start to get bored and want novelty beyond new track titles obliquely referencing world events?
The good people at Fabric have an answer in the form of “Contractor Corpses Hung Over the Euphrates River.” This is Vatican Shadow in true form, back with the dust-caked synths to bring oppressive, Middle Eastern heat to your living space. Consistency is great, and this is endless entertainment at its finest, but where is the fire of a VS live performance? At what point does the seething resentment of this messy modern world spill over into the kind of rhythms that can pound you to your knees on a dance floor while forcing a view of modern warfare and politics in front of your face?
Maybe it is here, buried a little deeper? Maybe it’s on the accompanying When You Are Crawling EP that’s been scuttlebutting about. The best thing to do when you’re crawling is try to figure out how many drinks you have had and find the nearest unoccupied toilet. Sounds like a helluva night. Keep your fingers crossed that that is what’s in store for Vatican Shadow followers. For now, just put this track on repeat and let the future crawl and/or boogie towards you.
• Hospital Productions: http://hospitalproductions.net
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