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May 23, 2016 Issue # 57 - M83 By Billy Hamilton

Let’s face it, there’s nothing particularly subtle about Holy Fuck. From that firewall-jousting moniker to the stomach-crunching sounds emitting from their back catalogue, the Toronto ensemble have rarely been the type of band you can just ignore.

Album number four, Congrats, resumes their assault on our eardrums. Built on a familiar bombast of percussion and throbbing synthesizers, each cut is as intense and jarring as we’ve come to expect from the electro quartet. In particular, opener “Chimes Broken” fuzzes with Liars-like throttle and “Xed Eyes” is an exceptional distorted funk palpitation.

But the buzz never quite lasts. Cuts such as “Neon Dad” and “Acidic” are less thriller, more filler; each is executed with admirable precision, but unable to reach the peak of cranium-dismantling album closer “Crapture.” Sadly, such inconsistency is largely the story of the band’s career. Sure, they are impossible to ignore, but somehow Holy Fuck have ended up just like all the rest. (www.holyfuckmusic.com)

Author rating: 6/10