Comfort Cure - Design International

From the get-go on Comfort Cure’s “Design International” we’re delivered EBM hooks and powerful, punching percussive blasts that’s going to send any rivethead straight down a rabbit hole of dance worthy material. ‘Last Thing’ starts the album, sinking its fangs right into your veins and never letting go until every ounce of energy you have is instilled into the music. The instrumentals are fantastic, with plenty of breaks before the stomping beats return for yet another spin in the garden of madness.  Not a fan of the vocals, however; I think the song would have been better off without them. As crisp as the music production is, Comfort Cure throws an odd wrench into the mix by having raw vocals, echoing in the background, almost like an afterthought; it does not flow with the beat at all. Sparingly used, however, and nothing extremely detrimental. An odd choice, nonetheless.

I don’t want to beat a dead horse either throughout the review, so I’ll get this out of the way: the vocals that Comfort Cure provides don’t work on any of the songs on the EP for the stated reason above; just superb beat making with phenomenal production work bogged down by offbeat lyrical delivery. Last time I’ll mention it. Onward. 

‘Fight and Steal’ continues a shredding pattern of punchy electronics mixed with brighter and shiner synths. Perhaps more experimental and off the wall than what some classic EBM enthusiasts might expect, but I think it’s smashing. ‘On the Floor’ takes EBM back down to the roots, providing classic club-stomping beats alongside delineating synth work. The last original track is a quick two-and-a-half-minute flourish of experimental synths. It reminds me of an opening credit crawl to a movie, or like a moment in a 2D platformer where the big bad is chasing your character and you’ve to run and run and run and jump and jump and jump to avoid certain death. 

There’s a four-piece remix section with several artists giving their take on Comfort Cure’s music. This starts with Semantix’s remix of ‘Last Thing’. Two EBM enthusiasts meeting; an unstoppable force meeting an immovable wall. Pure EBM shenanigans come to light with Semantix providing more power to the mix. Antoni Maiovvi comes into the album and gives two separate remixes under two monikers: his own and Ye Gods. Under Maiovvi he blesses Comfort Cure with a bit of the ol’electro disco sound and under Ye Gods he completely destroys the single and transforms it into an experimental bout of electronics and wizardry. Brood Fraye is the final remixer on the album and gives ‘Beat It’ a kick in the ass; not necessarily sounding like a remix and coming more off like an original track. A transformation sticking with EBM roots but adding additional synth work and its own flavor. 

Comfort Cure’s “Design International” is a great EP instrumentally; everything is solid and crisp in that regard, and the remix section that comes afterward is a fun listen. The only thing that Comfort Cure needs to find a new groove on is his vocals as they just don’t work. Thankfully, they aren’t the mainstay on the album and often fall into oblivion in comparison to the music. A thoroughly grand time to be had here.