Icelandic duo Kaktus Einarsson and Guolaugur Einarsson (no relation) once operated under the glare of Macbooks as they engaged with techno/electronic music in bars across Reykjavik.
What happened next, however, was a far remove from bangin’ beats – grieving a stolen master disc that contained an unreleased techno album, the duo enlisted the services of a new drummer (Frosti Gnarr), embraced metallic psychedelic music, and virtually reimagined My Bloody Valentine’s woozy shoegaze.
Hard and crunchy, the songs on this debut album ooze confidence, if not bravado; first single, Circus Life, is seven minutes of post-punk that may take its cues from Bauhaus, Psychedelic Furs and Joy Division, but not its orders.
Other songs such as Blinking and Your Collection offer acute pop sensibilities without spoiling the dark wave fun.
