SRSQ - Unreality (2018) FLAC

Tracklist:

[2:23] 01. SRSQ - Prelude
[4:23] 02. SRSQ - The Martyr
[4:51] 03. SRSQ - Cherish
[5:43] 04. SRSQ - Procession
[6:45] 05. SRSQ - Mixed Tide
[2:31] 06. SRSQ - No Reason
[5:33] 07. SRSQ - Permission
[7:15] 08. SRSQ - Only One

AllMusic Review by Paul Simpson

California-based duo Them Are Us Too produced an utterly bewitching update of '80s darkwave, with airy guitars and harsh drum machines underpinning Kennedy Ashlyn's soaring, near-operatic vocals. Tragically, guitarist Cash Askew was one of three dozen casualties of the fire that destroyed the Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland at the end of 2016. Ashlyn continued making music under the name SRSQ, and her debut, Unreality, was released shortly after TAUT's posthumous second album in 2018. Produced by Inhalt's Matia Simovich, the album continues in a similar direction as TAUT, but with an added level of poignancy. Instead of being excessively gloomy or cathartic, however, the songs are actually quite uplifting, celebrating the bond between Ashlyn and her departed friend. This is most evident in songs like the sparkling "Mixed Tide," which exclaims "Let's dance at the disco" without being backed by an on-the-nose dance beat, or the epic finale, "Only One," where Ashlyn confesses "It crushes me every day" during the spoken bridge. She sounds utterly grateful to have known her fallen comrade on tunes like "Cherish," which sounds like late-era Cocteau Twins with a heavier beat and fizzier, more gliding textures. Throughout the album, Ashlyn's astounding voice delivers heartfelt laments and dark poetry over an ever-fluttering backdrop of synth balladry (and techno beats on "Permission"). Unreality is an immensely beautiful, affecting record.