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Equally at home with guitars and bass laying down licks as growling analogue mono synths and effect drenched analogue drum machines, Quantum Regression is a homage to an array of dark genre. Spanning from darkwave, goth-rock and punk to synth punk, electroclash, early blues driven metal and even dub.

Earnest, angst driven and occasionally gruff vocals tie the genre-spanning album together and leave an impression of passion, comfort and competency with instrumentation, tone and production and certainly a story to tell.

In the opening track, layered analogue synths crack like thunder and give a moment of Vangelic cinematic reflection before the pulsing bass and click of synthetic wet cowbells and noise filled snares shifts Quantum Regression from a contemplative scene to an action sci-fi journey to a dark future.

Leaning towards the guitar side of darkwave, Stride jangles defiantly before TVOD with its driving crashes and techno-cynicistic lyrics forcefully pushes the album into pure synth punk territory.

With a surprise German monologue, an ode to Kraftwerk perhaps, Taste becomes the most danceable track on the album. With touches of Yello's sonic building technique, the call and response man machine duality becomes a gyrating rhythmic feast as waves of texture fill the air and the body alike.

Sequels bring the album back down to earth and its gothic rock roots as solidified by Square Meals.

The punchy punk power chords, eventually repeated under MS-20 mono synth of Fashion speaks of early statement punk Devo before Electric's swaying synthetic flanger winds, crack of spring reverbed snare and echoes of melodica pushes us surprisingly into the realm of dub.

The penultimate track Task is marked by metallic clicks, a chorus of harmonised vocals and a sense of progression, a slow march to one's fate, until the twangs of Bells' gothic blues ring out building to a chorus reminiscent of the haunting layered tones of early Black Sabbath.

A layered experience full of enough surprises to give repeated listening well worth the effort, Quantum Regression will have you outside your genre comfort zone in a split second and thoroughly enjoying every moment of it.

Laura Davis (https://infraghosts.bandcamp.com/)

VLF is the solo project of Naarm (Melbourne) musician and media artist Liam Power. Blending punk roots with analogue synthesisers, VLF crafts a sound driven by rhythmic pulses, angular guitar lines, and introspective vocals. Inspired by 80s minimal wave and synth-punk pioneers like Snowy Red and Devo, VLF delves into themes of digital existence and online detachment through music and video art.

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