Cardopusher ‘New Cult Fear’ (Boysnoize Records)
Cardopusher (aka Luis Garbàn) returns to Boysnoize Records with the follow-up to 2015’s ‘Manipulator’. Embracing the eerier finish of the electro spectrum, ‘New Cult Fear’ is teeming with wicked synths and distressed rhythms. There’s no pandering to the digital zeitgeist right here, only a producer with a laser-like deal with making an attempt to freak you out. ‘Dreamjumping’ and ‘Crystal Nightcap’ are each straight-up electro, combining occult-ish soundscapes with noodling acidic leads, whereas the horror-inspired ‘Mind Eraser’ and ‘Drunken Incapacitants’ sound just like the dying embers of a John Carpenter soundtrack. There are extra straight-edged cuts too, with ‘Idol Worship’ and ‘Just One Fixx’ swapping the filmic environment for a extra groove-based sound. It finishes with a trio of tracks that showcase Garbàn’s capability to fuse acidic motifs with a spread of timbres, rounding off an LP that’s massive on scary bangers however lacks actual emotional weight.
7/10
