One Track Mind

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Where does one classify a band like Los Angeles’ HEALTH, who are due to release their highly anticipated second full-length on September 8th via Lovepump United? Where in the generic taxonomy does the churning, burning groove of a track like “Die Slow” fall? If the shoegazers in Moose and Adorable had been privy to the much-improved dance music revival of the late ’00s, perhaps they would have beaten HEALTH to the punch on a track like this, but the fact remains that they didn’t. HEALTH has been blazing their own trail since their inception in 2005, and if “Die Slow” is a precursor to what awaits listeners on Get Color, it seems they have continued marching to the fucked up noise of their own, different drum.

“Die Slow” fades in to a stutter of digital delay, a “How Soon Is Now?” for a generation raised on Daft Punk and Girl Talk instead of Pet Shop Boys and Shop Assistants. It is a song with no brakes, and when the drums enter moments later, they do so with a wallop like Curve used to do–the drum beats deep and weighty. The vocals are that impenetrable slurry Slowdive did so well, a visitation from another realm, and although the prevailing tones are tetanus-laced shards, there are layers of ecstatic harmonies glimmering beneath. Is “Die Slow” a song to jump off a cliff to? To have E-fueled orgies to? To have bang around in your headphones on the subway ride home? Is it a love letter to 2009? Yes, indeed, my friends–and so much more.