Drama by HTRK (Review)

After an extended hiatus following 2014’s Psychic 9 – 5 Club, the shadowy electronic duo of vocalist Jonnine Standish and instrumentalist Nigel Yang — also known as HTRK — are back with two new songs in preparation of a new album coming later this year.

“Mentions” and “More to Enjoy” don’t break from the Australian duo’s usual sound. Ominous electronics, sparse programming, discomfiting atmospherics (e.g., the guitar notes on “Mentions” that echo off into eternity), Standish’s spectral vocals — they’re all present.

But while the music may be oppressive, there’s still something alluring and even sensual about HTRK’s minimal jams. (Standish’s lyrics, which seem primarily concerned with topics of intimacy and obsession, certainly help with that.) What’s more, the duo even allow rays of light to occasionally pierce through the darkness (listen to the final moments of “More to Enjoy”), which gives HTRK’s gloom some interesting shades.