Record Review: Holy Fuck, Latin
Categories: Record Review
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Except for the sleepy, synth swells of album opener "1MD," Latin is wide awake with kinetic energy that almost forces you to get off your ass and run somewhere. Especially when you hear songs like "Red Lights" and "Stilletos," that pop with air-tight musicianship of McQuaid and Shulz and the ambient sound warps/general weirdness you'd expect from the Borcherdt and Walsh.
For the most part, HF's modified sound is a satisfying and cohesive step up. Although at some points, the quick pace on every song gets a little tiresome. "Silva & Grimes" and "Lucky" are two prime examples of tracks that don't really stand out much. In some places, their glossy Euro-beats just sound like background music for a Cadillac commercial. But there are more than enough instances where the band uses their new structured sound in interesting ways.
Gems on the Latin include the Nintendo-fied blips on semi-title track "Latin America" and it's growling, evil cousin "SHT MTN", both packed with sawing synths. At its best, the album manages to deliver the primal, passionate energy you've come to expect from the soaked, underground dance club experience. And occasionally it does a good job of using raw musicianship and an artful ear to re-invent the best parts of it. But can we make one suggestion? Try re-naming this album something else. How about German?
Grade: B+
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