Swiss noise punks Coilguns have been channelling their raw energy into bursts of angular dissonance since 2011. They’ve always maintained a keen sense of experimentation, but their fourth full-length is an exercise in throwing out the bathwater while keeping the baby mercilessly intact. Odd Love is full of surprises: a whistled refrain during Placeholders; the discordant, randomly struck piano keys on Caravel; and the quiet menace of The Wind To Wash The Pain, which has more in common with Nick Cave’s early hedonistic era than anything conventionally labelled ‘punk’. That all these unorthodox avenues not only work but provide atypical hooks is simply breathtaking. The band haven’t neglected their heavy roots, though, hitting like a sledgehammer to the temple on album opener We Missed the Parade and Black Chyme. Odd Love is a tour de force, and essential listening for anyone with a taste for the avant-garde.
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