Beliefs - Habitat

by Adrian Janes

published: 19 / 11 / 2017

Label: Outside Music
Format: CD

Third album from Toronto duo Beliefs is an unsettling mixture of both rock and electronica

Review

If anything is consistent about the music of ‘Habitat’, it’s that it constantly suggests an unsettled world where no-one is really at home. This impression begins with the oddly catchy first track, ‘1994’, whose mellow guitar line is yet shot through with eerie electronic textures and a detuned guitar solo. Jesse Crowe’s vocals conclude with the sinister line “It’s time to kiss concrete”, all the more disturbing for being understated. The band’s style combines standard rock instruments with electronic (largely played by Crowe’s co-musician Josh Korody, apart from guest drummer Leon Taheny), the balance varying from song to song. Over a choppy rhythm, the droning synth and wistful vocals of ‘Retreat (Light the Fire)’ offers an immediate contrast to ‘1994’, conjuring up a strange vision of DAF as fronted by Marlene Dietrich. Other tracks which lean towards electronica include ‘Catholic Guilt’, where Crowe’s singing is at its strongest and most expressive, and ‘Comb’, in which a synth phrase pulses like an SOS alongside Korody’s distorted vocals. Drums burst in with a disco rhythm that’s almost ironic, in the way of alternative music right back to the Gang of Four or Au Pairs: danceable, yet too knowing to be joyful. The pendulum swings in the direction of noise-rock for the leaden ‘Divided Youth’, fuzz guitar bleeding across the skins of reverbed drums, yet with subtle little snare taps also present. ‘All Things Considered’ is similarly weighted, but adroitly switches to a lighter, New Order-esque bass and guitar combination on the chorus. At the end, ‘Shadow of the Son’ ties Beliefs’ stylistic threads together in a creation of guitar, bass, drums and string synth. Initially sparse and restrained, the sound gradually becomes more multi-layered and the voice grows more warped. The overall effect is oppressive but undeniably powerful. If there’s anything to the fact that one track on ‘Habitat’ is called ‘Catholic Guilt’, perhaps the location of these songs, often vocally melancholy, even icy, but musically played with great fire, is Purgatory. What is certain is that where Beliefs go next will be intriguing to hear.

Track Listing:-

1 1994
2 Retreat (Light the Fire)
3 Divided Youth (Only Lovers)
4 Half Empty
5 Comb
6 All Things Considered
7 Faulty
8 Anti
9 Catholic Guilt
10 Swamp Core
11 Shadow of the Son