- A certain darkness has long permeated the Modern Love catalog, but seriously, at what point were they completely overtaken by evil? The label was never in the business of releasing peaktime sunshine, but between the occult missives of Demdike Stare and whatever psychosis has overtaken Andy Stott, the Boomkat-backed imprint has embraced nightmarish vibes like no other. Half of Demdike Stare, Pendle Coven, and Millie & Andrea, Miles Whittaker is no stranger to the Modern Love family, so it's hardly surprising that his first solo release under his own name is yet another sonic equivalent of someone pacing over your grave.
Facets inhabits the space between the dance floor-baiting of Millie & Andrea and the cinematic immersiveness of Demdike Stare: dancing is part of the program but certainly not these tracks' sole focus. A spastic beat emerges from an electric fog on opener "Flawed" only to get swallowed back up. When a solid pulse reemerges for "Lustre," it fights for presence amidst all the dust it's kicking up. "Primer" veers as close to the realm of proper techno as anything included herein, and if unleashed appropriately late in the evening, its bass growl and skittery snares might get a crowd moving. But you can almost hear "On the Fly," a sputtering heap of mangled electronics, cackling at such obvious pleasures. It's another Modern Love release likely to send chills down your spine, both for the quality of the music it contains and the unrelenting eeriness of its chosen mood.
Tracklist A1 Flawed
A2 Lustre
B1 Primer
B2 On The Fly