nolongerhuman - Depersonalization

Three years is a long time, and in the Dark Electro scene, fans tend to yearn for new material faster than anywhere else. 'Antipathy', since it's release in 2009, has garnered itself quite a reputation - Clint's experimentation with melodic intros and traditionally harsh structures has turned NLH into an act where everyone has an opinion.

'Depersonalization' is a lot harsher than Antipathy, and reminds me of some of the material on the 'Vestigial' demo -Clint is focused on delivering all of his anger, hostility and frustration into an environment where nothing is welcome, and everything is a potential enemy - the bleakness of the album cover will sum up the gist of 'Depersonalization', and the opening bars of the ironically titled 'Thank You' show us exactly why three years makes a difference.

Gone are the melodic moments that precede a track, Gone are the occasional issues that Clint had with his vocals - instead, we pick up where 'Welcome to the Company' left off previously - his vocals are harsh but coherent, and garnished with excellent production and appropriate mixing. The bitter irony returns, and the use of Cockroaches (Clint owns several of these as pets) is well and truly integrated into both the logo and title of the project.

This is enforced (co-incidentally) on 'Insect Politics' - a middle finger to the state of the world we live in, but also strong evidence that you can make an album in this genre without resorting to violence, sex, and exaggerated themes - it's refreshing to see titles like 'Distract Me' instead of the typical 'Slut, Bitch, Blood, Suicide'.

'Antipathy' fans will take immediate comfort into one of the scenes truly personal tracks - 'Hell and Back' - this re-introduces some of the melodic sides to 'nolongerhuman', and is made more poignant by the repeated use of Clint's audible screams - he's clearly infused with emotion in the narrative, and if this track isn't a ritual of self-cleansing, then it's certainly
a powerful message to whoever pissed him off.

At ten tracks, this album actually reminds me in many ways of 'Closer' by Joy Division - an album which most of you almost certainly own. The similarities come in that the album is deeply, deeply personal and bleak.
The first two tracks set the mood and form the danceable side of the album, the next two become very personal and melodic, the next three become slower or more traditional, and the final three ('Orthodox' , 'Abandonment' , 'Use Your Abuse') form a trio of increasingly moribund, miserable, and overwhelming.

Like 'Closer' did in 1980 (and believe me, this comparison is merely for aesthetic), this album is ordered for maximum effect, and by the time the final three tracks run their course, it's like a cold sweat forged by a combination of intense dancing and terrible dread and foreboding.

Depersonalization is setting the template for how Dark Electro should sound in 2012 - far removed from the violent, gory, sexual ethic, instead replacing it with more relevant tunes about everything from politics to loss and unemployment, Clint shows us that with a little hint of ingenuity, the wheel can be re-invented.

To criticise this release, I'd recommend a remix or two (I'm not a huge fan but 10 tracks is quite short, and there's some nice material here), and maybe a little less repetition, as some tracks do sound similar in places, but the ascent from 'Antipathy' to 'Depersonalization' is heavily accentuated, like a dodgy actor trying to play a Frenchman.

Released on COP at the end of March, this is one you could strongly do with giving a listen to. Mar 03 2012