17.01.20

When Holy Fuck’s self-titled debut emerged in 2005, it felt right at home among the crossover output of labels like DFA and Kitsuné. Awash with swirling electronics, muted yelps, frantic rhythms and distorted punk-funk, it was exciting and new. Deleter, the band’s fifth album, doesn’t deviate dramatically from this original template.

There are moments – such as when Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor adds his electro-pop croon to the modular melodies of album opener Luxe – that reaffirm what an excellent template it still is. Holy Fuck have always managed to weave dreamy melodies into high-energy noise, and the wistful Endless is just as good as any of their earlier work.

Joining the surge of artists exploring the punkier reaches of electronic music, tracks like the sludgy, hard-edged San Sebastian draw direct lines between the vanguards of the past and present. It’s a highlight that is disappointingly followed by title track Deleter, which sounds mawkishly quaint at best, as well as Free Gloss, which chugs along mediocrely, neither here nor there.

Sure, there are moments on the album that demonstrate Holy Fuck’s ability to electrify, but our sonic landscape has significantly shifted and developed since the band first carved out their sound. Too much of the material on Deleter sounds oblivious to this, and as a result, dated.

Adam Corner