The term industrial pop has been a controversial one ever since Daniel Graves of Aesthetic Perfection championed it some few years ago. Of course there are those in complete denial of the genre even if there is argument to be had that it does exist. This has never bothered me as I’ve heard everyone use the oddest genre names in the past up to and including cheesecore. I suppose my main point of contention when it came to industrial pop is that most of it did sound like regular pop music just with a slight darker edge. Hell, I could see Taylor Swift’s …Ready For It? belonging on an industrial pop setlist and that would be absolute heresy to every rivethead in existence and then the world would implode so on and so forth.
Regardless, from the moment I fired up Street Sex’s debut single TURN BLUE I found myself in a world of destructive synthpop that just might be the definitive version of what industrial pop sounds like.
A quick aside for those that don’t know, Street Sex is a side project of industrial noise act Street Sects. And they did a double album release under both names. Street Sects album review forthcoming at a future date. Gotta focus on one at a time and really absorb all the creative juices, ya know?
I’ll just be blunt: the whole album from the first analog sound to the last buzzing second is a damn masterpiece. Like many pop albums that have come before it FULL COLOR ECLIPSE disguises its cup half-filled outlook in bright beats. But there’s just something that’s not quite right; it’s as if the lyrics were sung with a shit eating grin and a worldview filled with ire and cynicism.
Nothing deems that statement more true than Perpetuity which I believe was the third leading single of the album prior to the whole thing dropping and shaking everyone to the core. Sung from the perspective of a studio executive or producer or music mogul, it describes the dangers of the music industry with clarity. Under a bed of electronic percussion and lively synth work lies lyrics that highlight Street Sex’s frustration with the industry.
What am I paying you for, the money goes out the door // I wish I would have signed you when you were younger and hungry // Your streaming numbers have been consistent the last few years // And after you’re dead and gone I’ll keep collecting forever and ever
Of course I’m not here to analyze each and every single song on the album; Street Sex / Sects have always been wondrous with their no bullshit approach to songwriting and lyricism. If you read / listen to what they have to say you’ll understand their point in no time. I suppose that’s what I’ve always appreciated about this duo is that they’re able to take a narrative and drive it home in every song they produce.
The variety of rhythms found on the album is also impressive. They never stick to one brand of pop or another; for example THE SQUEEZE seems to pull inspiration from the likes of Eurodance whilst SHORT CUT seems to be more in the way of modern industrial beats while TIMING BELT hits it on the nose with straightforward four-on-the-floor beats. But there’s never a moment in the album where I felt any of this was overdone.
The song composition on the album is consistently changing and experimental which is likely an aftereffect of their expertise in, well, exactly that: experimental music. And, sure, a lot of the songs on here follow a similar pattern of verse, chorus, verse, breakdown, chorus, end. But it never tires due to most of the songs having a length between two and three minutes with the longest clocking in at around four-and-a-half minutes. What this makes me want to do is not abandon the album but listen to it over and over and over again until my metaphorical CD would start scratching and skipping.
I’ve been following Street Sects since their early days in 2014; in fact I believe that the first album I reviewed by them was The Morning After the Night We Raped Death. And, sure, back then I thought that they needed some improvement but there was something unique and special about them that made me come back for more and more and more. And I’m so glad I followed them up until this point. Ten years later and they’ve made one of the best albums I’ve ever heard in my life on a side project. Every ounce of grit and pain this album pours out is worth your attention. All I can ask for is more and I don’t really care if I have to wait another couple of years for another album.
