Compact Disc (CD), Vinyl LP
Since their 2011 debut, Hollandaze, Odonis Odonis have blended unruly blasts of noise with surf guitar and industrial clatter. Their latest album, Post Plague, steps away from those sensibilities, but part of what makes Odonis Odonis such a compelling band is their willingness to evolve.
On Post Plague, Odonis Odonis push their sound into darker territory, with tense vocals, nervous energy, and hypnotic, industrial beats. The lyrics—particularly on “Needs” and “That’s How It All Goes”—speak of desperate isolation and the yearning for authenticity. They’re a commentary on power, conflict and cultural change, both in social mores and technology.
Classic works of science fiction, like Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and John Carpenter’s The Thing, have forewarned of such social fragmentation, and both of them feel like forerunners to the paranoia that crops up on Post Plague. But with the self-awareness and to recognize these social patterns comes the need for rebellion. While it might seem like a change of sonic pace for the band, their sharp edges and doomy electronic pulse remain undimmed. Post Plague doesn’t simply embrace its synthetic clamor—it weaponizes it.
—Erika Szabo
