Just like electricity can be used to power a fridge but also used to power a heater, electronic instrumentation can also be manipulated in such a way. We've hardly been bereft of icy and industrial new-wave or electronica, and names like Depeche Mode and Suicide have been cited in as many reviews as most, but the electronica/electro-pop that Shadow Shadow have made on 'Kill Screen' is an altogether warmer affair. Lifted from their new album 'Riviera', this track has more structure than some in its field, and the analogue-sounding synths buzz with the warmth of soft static electricity, wrapping you up as though it were a blanket. Having some treated vocals help give this a more soothing feel, but that said, it's still a fairly edgy track and you wouldn't exactly call it chart-pop.
'Kill Screen' perhaps has more in common with the worlds of indiepop and shoegaze, taking the easy and soft sounds of the former and adding some of the bite of the latter, so that the balance is just right. With the initial ideas being born in a rural cottage in Sweden, it may be that these songs are a product of their surroundings (past singles 'Riviera' and '1000001' both feature on the album) and that the more concrete environment of city life may have subconsciously brought a harsher feel, but the way things have turned out is probably preferable to that. It's always good to discover electro-pop that's both alternative and welcoming at the same time, and both of those attributes apply to this song.
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