Next Life
For the debut single from Audio Conspiracy, this is unashamedly confident. Chunky basslines throb in the background allied to searing guitar riffs for a menacing din from the Barrow-in-Furness based outfit. Clearly Gavin Monaghan's credentials as producer to the likes of Kings of Leon and Editors are warranted as Philip Hampson's deep vocals jump in and out for attention like a less robotic White Lies. It is an involving, inescapable sound and one that remains both formidable yet darkly appealing.
The track excites; rising to a ballsy stand-off yet when you expect a chilling crescendo, none can be found. Instead, synths pulse to a vivacious drum beat and Hampson dictates proceedings with the sort of immersive vocals that evoke a more eloquent but no less mesmerising version of Joy Division's Ian Curtis. Eventually he takes the lead with an impassioned refrain to which you feel obliged to bellow along until a quick gasp for air and the track bleeds to a finale.