Sextile - Yes Please [CD]

Some bands find their groove and stick to it; others reinvent themselves constantly.Sextile belongs to the latter camp, embracing the thrill of an ever-changing roadmap. The LA duo of Melissa Scaduto and Brady Keehn craft music with a lust forlife, drawing inspiration from no wave to hardstyle. Their latest album, yes, please,pushes their sound into bold new territory, fusing anarchic electro fire with rawpersonal recollections-and enough beefed-up bass to bust a speaker or two.yes, please. Is an album of contrasts: a vulnerable record that bares it's soul as muchas it revels in excess, showing just how far you can push your sound when youshake off your inhibitions. Together, the pair betray a confidence that never wavers,making a bold splash on the speedy intro with a rave siren cut from a '00s NewYork house party or sweaty Brooklyn warehouse. By the same token, the spirit ofelectroclash stalks the building, flashing it's ID on the cowbell-peppered thunderbolts of "Freak Eyes" and "Rearrange", and turning in a scuzzy dancefloor bombwith "Women Respond to Bass". High on endorphins, "Push Ups"-which featuresvocals from Jehnny Beth-is pure muscle music, fortified by hoover bass andfleshed out by synths that hammer as hard as lumps of hail on a glass roof.But behind the slogans, sass, and monster dance energy lies an intimacy that canonly be found from opening up about painful, life-altering events. "Hospital" and"Soggy Newports" reflect Scaduto's harrowing experience in a New York state-runfacility after a near-fatal accident. "Resist" tackles abortion rights, while "PennyRose" explores US education, AI, and future generations. Scaduto's elastic vocalsshine throughout, from the razor-sharp synths of "S is For" to the trance-popheights of "Kids," featuring Izzy Glaudini from Automatic.yes, please. Is an action-packed dance record stuffed with wild, heady roof-raisersbut is in the same breath a testament to living, and never looking back. In openingthemselves up to a new "freeing" way of making music, Sextile have whipped uptheir most creative offering to date. Then again, you just know they still have somuch more to give.