American Automatic

Nearly two years after their debut release, Kill Memory Crash have retooled their sound for the better on American Automatic, which recalls classic moments from the Wax Trax imprint without diving headfirst into the convenient nostalgia that plagues so many industrial bands and has kept the genre in an infinite loop of mediocrity for nearly a decade. "Riyout" wastes no time in reestablishing the duo as the most abrasive group in the Ghostly stable, their straightforward driving beats a far cry from the shoegaze of teen idol Dykehouse or the hip-hop waters of Dabrye. The title track's driving electro beat almost sounds like an unintentional homage to Charles Manier's "Bang Bang Lover," but the comparisons to any other Ghostly artist stop there. It's part IDM (thanks to Rephlex-inspired workouts like "Utiu"), part industrial and part electro. But it's the sum of these parts that creates a mold-breaking, ten-song sonic assault that only lets up for breath with the unnerving jazz shuffle of "Push," which would be right at home on a Nurse With Wound record. With its relentless energy and unforgiving abrasiveness, American Automatic raises the bar for what industrial dance music should sound like in the 21st century.