Animalism, the seven-song maxi-single from whence this track is derived, is one of those exceedingly-rare releases chock-full of ear candy from beginning to end. Each track is a meticulously-designed nocturnal composition with a truly obsessive level of attention to detail, all of it delightfully dark and satisfyingly carnivorous.

Solemn Shapes are the creative tour-de-force that is Scott “Sco” Sunset and Melanie Foxfire, artists of this uneasily-defined industrial darkwave with electronica tendencies. Their band name derived from a Vincent Scully architectural article referring to the beauty of Louis Khan’s building, “In Khan’s Unitarian Church for Rochester, all the hard and solemn shapes were now derived from an analysis of function and most of all, from the reception of light.” The shapes of the interior, Scully called ‘Brutalist‘.

When asked how he goes about breathing life into a new track, Sco responded, “It might start off one way, but as it goes, it shows you what it needs to be and what you need to do with it. I don’t get in the way of that, I just let it happen.” When queried on influences, both agreed to wide-ranging loves including Skinny Puppy, Psychic TV, Throbbing Gristle, and perhaps surprisingly Gary Numan (but not if you’ve heard his latest NIN-like fare). “We listen to everything. We’re kind of like music whores.” Ditto here. [Interview by DiscoveringBands.com]

NEED (and in particular this DR3AMCLINIC remix) is hauntingly dystopian, building on a sonic landscape that invites one on a ride through a circuit-driven future where one is singularly detached and relationship-barren. The gothically-tinged industrial/electronica embraces a not-altogether alien landscape, perhaps stressing a future-forced-aloneness with human connectivity verboten except through cold technology.

“It’s nothing personal,
This isn’t about you,
You know my hands are tied.”

Animalism is an aptly titled cold-blooded release built of darkly-atmospheric reminders of humanity’s base NEEDs, with this track perhaps embracing a lone wolf crying out from afar, reaching outwardly, probingly alone…

“Someone like you.”
.

• Solemn Shapes’ Home // Spotify // Facebook
• Compilation UNEARTH’D on which Solemn Shapes is a featured artist is located HERE