Coldwave duo Lebanon Hanover has just put out an absolutely frigid new single.
“Abracadabra” is a melange of genre-typical disaffection, gyrating sensuality and the occult. With Larissa Iceglass on vocals and minimalist synth and drum machine instrumentals, the track lumbers like an ice-cold corpse.
Iceglass sighs doleful, barely intelligible lyrics with the detatched affectation characteristic of the coldwave genre, the repeated word “abracadabra” wispered between hardly-parted lips.
Despite the song’s stripped-down quality, the lyrics are starkly carnal.
I feel the magic in your caress I feel the magic when I touch your dress Silk and satin, leather and lace Black panties with an angel’s face
Lebanon Hanover, “Abracadabra”
For a band whose songs typically center around the romanticism of death and decomposition (“Kiss Me Until My Lips Come Off” and “Gallowdance” come to mind), “Abracadabra” is surprisingly restrained. The song’s theme is plain: a woman so alluring she leaves the speaker spellbound.
The complexity lies in the song’s trancelike beats and dark, moody atmosphere. A pulsing drum machine adds a borderline industrial quality reminiscent of old Depeche Mode tracks while vaporous synths create the auditory illusion of cool fog.
It’s an essential track for those at the goth club who like to sway their arms and gyrate.
Cover art for the upcoming album "MG Ultra" by Machine Girl
Experimental digital hardcore and drum and bass duo Machine Girl has announced their upcoming LP, “MG Ultra.”
The album is planned for release October 18. The project was teased alongside the single “Until I Die,” which will be the first track off the album.
The project follows the two-part soundtrack for the FPS platformer video game “Neon White,” which was entirely produced by Machine Girl.
Sonically, there’s a lot of resemblance to the aformentioned soundtracks, with the addition of the harsher-sounding digital hardcore aspects that are heard in some of Machine Girl’s prior albums, such as “The Ugly Art.”
The album appears to be shaping up as some type of amalgamation of all of the differing sounds that the band has dabbled in, feeling like a kind of “updated” version of their earliest works.
Cover art for the single “Until I Die” by Machine Girl
In addition to the album’s announcement, the band also plans on launching a North America tour beginning on Halloween at the Brooklyn Steel in New York.
Among the scheduled tour dates includes a show at the Lincoln Theater here in Raleigh, a show I’m personally quite excited for. The last time the band had performed in the area was back in May of last year, where they served as the opener for hyperpop duo 100 Gecs, a show of which I was an attendee.
Overall, I’m definitely looking forward to this addition to Machine Girl’s discography, as well as what feels like a whole new chapter for the band with a unique sound.
