It’s funny how a band you just started following easily becomes one of your highly anticipated releases for what little times remains in 2025. Enter Patriarchy to that little number. Though I heard them making the rounds in the underground electronic scene for quite some time now it wasn’t till earlier this year that I definitively gave the band a proper gander. And what I found was some of the best and dirty and grimy underground electronica I’ve heard in quite some time. Perhaps it’s due to the nature of their collaboration with Twin Shadows, or mayhaps it’s due to the fact that I finally leant my critical ear time to check them out. Regardless, they’ve become a desire of mine and have joined my both my workout playlist and my casually listening playlist ever since.
So comes the time where the prophecies come true and Patriarchy finally releases their brand-new album Manual for Dying unto the masses. And it’s a dream come true. The album starts with Boy On A Leash which was one of their lead singles prior to release. From the very get go there’s an ominous ring to the music; a whispering backing ambiance that plays under deep bass lines before you hear the dominatrix like-lyrics spoken to you, “If you wanna keep your boy on a leash the strategy is catch and release.” This gave me a huge cue into what the album would be about and that this was an X rated album. Deep basslines permeate the track as do moans realizing the sexual tension throughout. This is about as perfect as a song gets.
If Barbie wore latex then I believe what would come of that unholy union would be Coming Up. What begins as a minimalist synth track dives into a heavily layered beast featuring dual vox, menacing guitar tones, but nonetheless a pop-like vibe that can’t be beaten down. The final minute of the song is alternative bliss breaking out into an amalgamation of dirty pop and industrial mechanics.
Bad Thing’s simple doldrum of drum pads is addictive on its own but it really breaks open during the chorus; the pads become bassier, hit harder, the vox much more emotive, and the synths simply swept me off my feet. Around the halfway point the song switches up entirely adding in trickles of synthetic lines that wouldn’t feel out of place in a Eurodance track before everything comes together and becomes a track worth dying for.
Like Me is another stand out track that reminisced many of the witch house tracks I’ve experienced in the past without so many of the occult symbols. Deep and sweeping bass that’s almost cracking my speakers; vocals that are ethereal and dreamy; dragging notes and overexaggerated rhythms. Trip-hop inspired yet something of another world entirely. I was a little surprised by this song, to be honest, as I didn’t expect this sound to come out of Patriarchy. Regardless I’m pretty sure they could head into the witch house scene and take it by storm if they wanted to.
The last song that I want to highlight on the album is something that can be described as a cyberpunk night track that wouldn’t feel out of place on a futuristic dancefloor, Pain is Power. Though the lyrics of Patriarchy are usually charged, this song is much more personal as it deals with one of the most powerful moment a human being can experience: childbirth. Regardless it’s a phenomenal track that deserves all the attention it can garner.
These songs are but my absolute favorites from the album but I’d be lying if I said there was a bad song on Manual For Dying. There’s not a single track I’d rate an 8.5 or below on their own and each track has been meticulously crafted. Patriarchy is a huge variable in the underground electronic scene, able to trounce from one genre to the next without so much as breaking a sweat whilst also knowing that it’s still their DNA. They’re experimental and suave and able to keep the album moving, with some songs having multiple parts without ever sounding stale. Manual For Dying is one of 2025’s standout gems and probably one of the best albums I’ve listened to…Ever.
