Bleep

The allure of “eerie and gothic country music” drives HTRK on their latest album, but what’s more surprising is how identifiable the Australian duo remain even at their most skeletal. Where HTRK used to cull unnerving worlds out of blocky industrial traditions, Rhinestones feels transmitted from a ghost town with just a reverb-drenched acoustic guitar, Jonnine Standish’s murmured vocals, and the occasional programmed drum crackling like a dying campfire. While kitschy country revivalism remains trendy, few dare to explore the lonesome traveler ethos as vulnerably as HTRK.