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Feb 29, 2012 Web Exclusive By Austin Trunick

Those averse to brooding skulk rock shouldn’t let the album art put them off; the bloated Goth on the cover of TRST is probably a bit too misleading. The music contained within belongs less in a candlelit cathedral than it does on a pulsing dance floor, sounding more in line with a dark, haunted Cut Copy than Bauhaus or The Sisters of Mercy. Full of deep, electronic instrumental washes and thumping digital drums, the world Trust’s songs inhabit is a futuristic urban sprawl of wet pavement and neon lights, displaying an ultramodern glamour while hinting at a seedy underside. (You can imagine that this is what the synthy Drive soundtrack might have sounded like had it taken place in the retro-futurist Los Angeles we saw in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, rather than Nicolas Winding Refn’s current-day setting.)

Trust’s debut album begins with a mechanical heave and lurch before opening into waves of dark, grooving synth and Robert Alfons’ rolling baritone vocals. Opening track “Shoom” shows off the band’s dual talents in crafting eerie soundscapes within trappings that wouldn’t be out of place in a sweaty nightclub. Comprised of Alfons and Maya Postepski (of electronic rock outfit Austra), the Toronto-based synth pop duo trade off vocals over the course of their Arts & Crafts debut. While Alfons’ singing voice falls heavily into Peter Murphy’s tormented timbre at some points, such as in the previously released single, “Candy Walls,” the rest of the record is rarely so dreary. Several brighter stretches include the newer single, “Sulk,” a dreamily hazy stretch of sticky pop, and “This Ready Flesh,” which is a more minimalist, Gary Numan-esque New Wave turn. It can be a strange juxtaposition at points, but the pair makes it work. Equally capable of moving your ass as it is of rattling your nerves, TRST is probably one of the most haunting albums you might find yourself busting a move to in some time. (www.ttrustt.com)

Author rating: 8/10