TR/ST : "Performance"

 

Now 14 years into the inception of this project, TR/ST is releasing its 5th full length on Dias Records. The second song grooves more than the first, which given the opaque nature of Alfron's vocal approach, it's crucial to hook you into the song. He has managed to become a staple in the rotation of most "goth" DJs who are open to playing music outside the tired Front 242 fixtures. Though I am not sure I would; consider this particular album goth. It moves under the hazy neon of 80s-infused synths. At times there is more in common with the Pet Shop Boys or Bronski Beat than the Sisters of Mercy.  To his credit songwriting is more finely tuned than some of the previous efforts which can be heard in the melodic nuance of "All at Once"

He falls back into some of his more murky musings on "The Shore", which might still work as the background throb for a dance floor, but it's more about capturing a sound than being a song you return to. Though not a deal breaker in this regard. There is a lighter ambiance to contrast with some of the similar moods delved into in "Boys of LA".  His vocals retain the same unique murmur that helps define his brand. Without this, it would place him more solidly alongside the Pet Shop Boys. This brings up an interesting point regarding how all things 80s New Wave get lumped in with goth, how many artists creep into goth music sets because they came out in the same era. So these sounds are thus embraced by younger artists, and woven into the fabric of what Tiktok goth thinks is acceptable. Screams of gatekeeping which amount to nothing more than spoiled brats wanting things to be however they want ensue and here we are with the goth scene in the state it is, but we will get to that next month. These just happen to be the thoughts this album inspires. 

"Clowned" is just lost in its own ambiance and does not really go anywhere, but "Dark Day" works well and benefits from an effective vocal hook. It's hard not to bob your head to it. The title track meanders around the same sonic themes this project has begun to recycle, which the direction the album was heading in is for all the songs to sound the same thanks to the limited dynamic range, forcing Alfrons to make the most of his beats and emerge from his reverbed mumbles to form more cohesive thoughts. He opts to dive deeper into the dense atmosphere and hide within sounds as the album closes on "Warp". So if you like what he does this album does not stray from that or bring any unexpected surprises into the production has polished those, so I will give this an 8.5.

pst451