Adult.: Why Bother?

Label: Thrill Jockey

With post-punk sounds all the rage, why not channel Suicide but with a female vocalist? Like that hallowed electronic duo, Adult jaggedly saws through your veins with harsh synths and serrated beats. When Nicola Kuperus sings “Oh dear, oh dear, oh me/You make me disgusted to a painful degree,” you wonder whether she’s singing about a person or life in general. Love isn’t going to save her, because she proclaims “I Feel Worse When I’m with You” (the second video from the album), though if there were ever a case where it’s-not-you-it’s-me applied, this is it. It’s not all synths, BTW; “Plagued by Fear” has a great Joy Division/New Order-style bassline, and there’s a bit of corrosive guitar elsewhere. Adult’s fourth album finds it as powerful as ever. (Steve)