For a moment, I thought I had been dropped into the realm of My Bloody Valentine. “Swerve” kicks off the new, untitled album from Trentemøller with the kind of buzzsaw guitar assault that will bring to mind shoegaze classics like “Only Shallow,” but the Danish musician and producer veers from there to build a collection of songs that don’t adhere to genre so much as they pull from the wider indie subculture. Throughout the album, Trentemøller brings together a roster of collaborators that includes Anika, Jonas Bjerre (Mew), Sune Rose Wagner (The Raveonettes) and more, which adds to its subtle eclecticism.
Everything exists because of what came before it and if you listen carefully to Trentemøller, you can hear decades of music history forming this album, from the Velvet Underground and Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys to early synthpop and 1980s movie scores to Jesus & Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine to an onslaught of 21st century micro-genres. All of this comes together in unexpected – frankly, brilliant- ways.
“Johnny Boy,” which is my personal favorite on the album and, most likely, the song that will end up in my club sets, is a good example of this. Anika, the British-German singer, takes on vocals for what starts out as a dark, post punk-leaning synth tune. By the chorus, though, Trentemøller takes listeners into the song’s second twist and Anika goes along for the ride, her delivery shifting dramatically with each musical curveball he throws. “Johnny Boy” is really, at least, four distinct genres or vibes in one song, which must frustrate the algorithm, but works stunningly well on human ears.
“Coyote,” the video for which dropped the day prior to the album release, takes that MBV-style crashing wall of noise and adds a squelching synthesizer reminiscent of Skrillex and Nero’s Hard Summer 2012 sets. To some, this might sound blasphemous. You can’t just mention shoegaze and EDM in a sentence like that. Oh, but it works, dear reader. In fact, it’s a highlight of the album.
Kudos to Trentemøller too for reviving waltzy goth, a vibe I thought had been lying in state at Cocteau Twins nights, on “To Mist” and “Crash.” It brings a nice balance to an album that’s, overall, heavy on noise and energy.
More:
Is Get Mean Boy Harsher’s Pop Album?
Hercules and Love Affair Gives Classic Synthpop a Modern Twist on Danseur
Psychedelic Sounds Abound on New Teenage Fanclub Album, Do Not Dare to Dream