Crime in Stereo - House & Trance (2023) Hi-Res

Of all the curveballs 2023 has offered up, a return of Crime In Stereo is among the more unexpected. With their last release more than a decade ago, the band shifted from hardcore punk into the world of post-punk/alternative more succinctly than anyone else. Tracks such as “Type One” and “Small Skeletal” exist as magical tracks of their discography, even if there were those who wanted a return to the sound of Explosives and the Will To Use Them (2004). Once again, Crime In Stereo stake their bold claim, in an age that is disorientated as ever.

Early on, Crime In Stereo bounce between the personal and the political, as opener “Pensioner” laments “Eventually, we will we all be, dead,” before hurtling into the loaded “Superyacht Ecopark“. Short and snappy, striking at the global imbalance of reasonability rattles House & Trance awake. The more intricate moments enter after this, as the drum rudiments pace themselves to and fro, and this blended with the guitar is where Crime in Stereo return to their toe-tapping nature of previous records.