XTR Human – Interior (Album – Blackjack Illuminist Records / No Emb Blanc)
Genre/Influences: Cold-wave.
Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl, Cassette.
Background/Info: Six years after the “Atavism”-album XTR Human strikes back with a new full length featuring ten songs. The Berlin based project tries to mix 80s post-punk together with contemporary UK indie-rock.
Content: The main influences emerging from “Interior” are clearly driven by 80s ghosts and more explicitly by the darkest hours from the cold/dark-wave movement. The deep, growling vocals only reinforce this feeling. Nevertheless the work also moves towards more evasive passages. But next to these dark-relaxing tracks you’ll also notice powerful parts.
+ + + : The 80s cold/dark-wave movement remains a great inspiration for contemporary artists. It resulted in an honest work dominated by the outstanding “On Miracles”. This song is a perfect summary of the “Interior”-influences; it has something dreamy-like and yet powerful. An aspect I like on this album is the production of the vocals, injecting an obscure touch to the work, which is already dark-minded.
– – – : I think it’s a pity there are no more real highlights featured such as “On Miracles”.
Conclusion: XTR Human isn’t setting the world alight, but brings a fairly representative cold-wave inspired sound.
Best songs: “On Miracles”, “New Dawn”, “Darkest Side”.
Rate: (7).
Artist: www.xtrhuman.de / www.facebook.com/XtrHuman
Labels: www.facebook.com/Blackjack.Illuminist / www.facebook.com/NoEmbBlanc
About XTR Human
XTR Human is an electro group from Berlin fronted by Johannes, mixing 80s post-punk and cold-wave with contemporary indie-rock. “Interior”, reviewed here, followed the “Atavism” album and was released on Blackjack Illuminist Records and No Emb Blanc. The band went on to sign with Berlin label Wie Ein Gott Records, releasing the single “I Want More” in 2023 ahead of a forthcoming album, and toured the United States that October and November.
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