Sculpture - Membrane Pop

Focused on the spontaneous, and mirroring how their collaboration came into being in the first place, the duo look to employ analog and digital practices in their improvisational compositions. Steering things away from the norm in experimentalism for beard stroking seriousness, theirs is a more bouncy approach, which cleanly bridges the gap between progressive electronic and poppier sensibilities. As Hayhurst himself explains “I’m aiming to make a coherent, adventurous electronic pop record with its own voice and identity. I don’t think experimental music has to be dark, difficult or joyless. I try to make something playful, and maybe a little absurd.”

Absurd it certainly is, as addictive and attention-grabbing quirks pique curiosity at each new listen. From the charged opening of “Materialising”, there seems initially to be little reason or rhyme but within the chaotic chirps fizzles there is something interesting. Effervescent single “Polymorphic Operator” is short and yet stuffed to the brim with clunky noises and inescapable beats, which reverberate more fully with every glitch. It burns itself out quickly though so as not to overstay its abrupt impression on the eardrums.

It’s not all high paced electronics though, as the tempos do slow eventually to allow a more cathartic experience in places. The ingeniously named “5 Seconds in the Future is a You Made of Pure Thought” and “Lingual Junk” allow some relief from the ricocheting jumble of noises, although not much.

The only real hint of traditional harmonies is short lived in “Distraction Display”, and even there, it’s all projected through the chewed lenses of Hayhurst’s love for unstable ambience.

Where this album no doubt comes to life is in the flesh, as the psychedelic movements are set to the visual interpretations of Sutherland’s animations. From what you can see already online, these are the perfect tether, giving a focus to the unpredictable nature of Hayhurst’s anarchic electronics.