It seems only fitting that Mind & Flesh, a Norwegian-based artist, would release his album The Buried Lights of Oslo on Halloween. As a follow up to his song “How the Heart Turned to Dust” on the the powerful compilation Surviving in Eu-rope off the She Lost Kontrol label, the new single “Purge for Purity” is a borderline EBM track that is both dramatic and lush in its arrangement. The accompanying video is a grainy, glitchy abstraction with visuals that match the song’s spooky, ice cold melody.
The Buried Lights of Oslo is a seven song blitz of the coldest, most chilling electronics full of thick, forceful basslines and hollow mixed back vocals. Some highlights – though every track is deserving of praise – would be the heartbreaking “As Cruel as Roses”, as well as “Path of God” – a song reminiscent of Depeche Mode‘s mid-1980s work with its mysterious, yet elegant, song structure and sounds. As a direct correlation to the dark perfection of Kontravoid and the sorrowful synthpop of the 1980s, the EP is one of 2017’s best and most exciting electronic releases thus far. You can listen to the album in its entirety below:
Headshot photo by Kim + Trine Design Studio