Led by Hannah Lew, formerly bassist of San Francisco's wondrous Grass Widow, Cold Beat have been putting out records on a regular basis over the last six years. Their latest Mother maintains the sleek, consistent momentum of previous releases. Characterised by a sleek, glacial New Wave poise, they offer easy listening for the alternative set.
Mother is not really an album that surprises once it has established its modus vivendi but it is certainly impressive. Cold Beat construct atmospheres reminiscent of the realms of Science Fiction and Fantasy leading to their songs making me think of classics of the cinema such as Tron and Blade Runner every bit as much as the records from that period.
As with the films mentioned above, the record comes across as dystopian comment on the way that flat earth thinking is taking us, although lyrics are buried deep in the mix. Time and time again the tracks build up and project landscapes of automated, dehumanised worlds. In interviews, (read this one ), Lew talks about how difficult it can be to create, put out and promote music nowadays, particularly when living in or around increasingly corporate and expensive cities like San Francisco where genuinely independent artistic endeavour is priced out and marginalised.
We can only be grateful that the likes of Cold Beat persevere. Mother is another great record. Driven by a synthetic pulse yet with a warm, vibrant set of melodies providing plenty of heart, hit singles all from a parallel universe.
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