The Suicide of Western Culture are a duo from the outskirts of Barcelona who are set to release their second album, Hope Only Brings Pain, on Irregular. Their self-titled debut was critically acclaimed in Spain (although I’ll hold my hands up and admit ignorance until a few days ago) and the follow up builds on it superbly well. Song titles such as ‘Hey, Guys! I Know The Name Of The Culprits’ and ‘Spanish Republican Soldiers In French Retirement Homes’ hint at something a bit different from the standard fare and the band deliver.
As the band name and verbose song titles suggest, Hope Only Brings Pain is an instrumental album that aims somewhere between post-rock stalwarts Mogwai and GSY!BE and chirpier electronic acts such as Animal Collective and Cut Copy. It’s either dancable post-rock or exceptionally dark and brooding dance music. The album refuses to settle into an identifiable rhythm, changing styles from track to track. One moment it could be a popular festival hit and the next it could soundtrack some neon-drenched sci-fi dystopia, Hope Only Brings Pain is constantly morphing just when you think you have it pinned down and comparable to something else.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LlU3trqXqw]
The album is scheduled to be released on 14th March, 2013 so keep an eye out for it.