Fake Youth Cult – White Light / Black Noise (Recommendation)

Openings are an important thing in nearly any art form. Opening tracks or scenes set the stage for what is about to come and will likely be remembered (given that they are good of course). Sometimes the mind creates the oddest connections or associations. Upon hearing the opening track “Visitor” and seeing the cover of Fake Youth Cult‘s newest album White Light / Black Noise I immediately thought of the movie Predator 2. Set in a hot, concrete jungle the beloved extraterrestrial once again starts his hunt for human trophies.

Not that this album is about an alien, but the atmosphere is as sultry and the high buildings on the cover seem to grow nearer and nearer. The aforementioned “Visitor” leads you beat by beat to the pounding centre of the record. Once you arrive at “Scorched” there is not escaping from the monochrome atmosphere this release creates.

Insomnia, claustrophobia and agoraphobia. This album seems to sonically revolve around this. The constant pounding of beats and the layers of sounds getting thicker and thicker like walls closing in. “Pulsar” is a roughly 9 minute long, adrenaline fueled, descent into the darkest alleys of a city until you hit a dead-end and the music stops.

White Light / Black Noise is a refreshingly intense EBM-release that should speak to anyone who has a soft spot for dark atmosphere and a higher heart rate while getting lost in an unknown metropolis.