Bleep

After a two year hiatus, Suction Records sublabel Ice Machine returns with a reissue that is equal parts harrowing and fun. Originally released in 2020, the self-titled debut from Glaswegian three-piece Kübler-Ross (made up of Katie Shannon, Craig Clark, and Dave Clark) is as reminiscent of Throbbing Gristle and Coil as it is of Depeche Mode and Molchat Doma. Though the album saw a lowkey limited run of cassette tapes on Akashic Records, it was longlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year Award in 2020, and now receives a much needed reissue on vinyl.

With eerie coldwave explorations and bouncing synthpop tunes, Kübler-Ross serves a classic DIY aesthetic with contemporary range. Born out of a three year period of recording in studios, rehearsal rooms, and on stage, the group’s unfiltered punk energy and “incendiary live performances” are documented on these tracks, evident in their anxious analog synth melodies, pounding percussion, and Katie Shannon’s unfettered vocals.

‘Koss’ opens with a harsh and ceaseless thudding, starting sparse and cold but layering with dense laser synths weaving in and out of the icy drawl of mysterious spoken word passages. In a total 180 turn, ‘Bridges’ lightens the mood with vibrant synths playing bright, twinkling melodies evoking 80s Britpop, complete with factory floor drums and gated snares that snap like wires. The air turns cold once more on ‘Clean Me’, a spine chilling industrial centrepiece of tense gunfire beats and wailing guitars, pleading whispers rising above the hiss to cut like knives.

Thanks to a reissue from Ice Machine, Kübler-Ross’s underground debut resurfaces with an undeniable punk spirit.