Within the fleet of Holodeck space vessels cruising beyond the asteroid belt, the flagship S U R V I V E sits in pole position. The quartet, which counts Holodeck co-founder Adam Jones among its roster, embodies the Austin-based label’s predilection for John Carpenter-core electronic horror in the most hi-fi fashion, pounding out premium twilit bangers from synth battle stations loaded with more knobs and sliders than a nudist gathering at White Castle. Crisp kick drums and self-consuming arpeggios populate the mix with such clarity and definition that it seems like one pulsing synthetic brain brought this music to life based on some arcane coding schematic. The truth is more human. Four men interlaced their hardware and programmed baroque harmonies into a MIDI network of plastic chassis. Their compositions speed over interludes and unique bridges, more occupied with presenting new melodic data than repeating a series of verses. At the heart of their practice shines the time-honored worship of articulated synth tones, thick enough to shake walls and skulls at the right playback volume (or, preferably, right before your eyes on stage).
In the wake of Holodeck’s reissue of S U R V I V E’s self-titled 2012 LP earlier this year, a new video for album highlight “Omniverse” reaches us by way of director Sean Miller. Press play and absorb his cyborg CGI imagery as it flits between tessellated patterns of fractal complexity in perfect time with the band’s expanding webs of synth. The alien geometry complicates as layers pile into the mix, solidifying into a gnarled pink mandala that leads us back down into the black abyss.
• S U R V I V E: https://survive.bandcamp.com
• Holodeck Records: http://holodeckrecords.com