Abe Vigoda - Crush

Back in 2008, Abe Vigoda released Skeleton, a spiky, frenetic collection of songs that won plenty of acclaim. Partly because of their frequent shows at The Smell venue in LA, they came to be associated with acts like No Age, HEALTH and The Mae Shi, but Vigoda clearly had a unique sound of their own, often described as ‘tropical punk’. Key to that sound was drummer Reggie Guerrero, but he has since left the fold to be replaced by Dane Chadwick. Whether or not that was a catalyst, Crush – their fourth LP – is a major change in direction. The Californians have recently been touring with Cold Cave, purveyors of icy-though-oddly-euphoric darkwave, and on listening to Crush that tour pairing makes perfect sense.

‘Throwing Shade’, the lead single, makes for a nice transition: it retains the urgency of old, but the infectious guitar hook that drives the song at first is gradually surrounded and bolstered by rousing synth stabs. Together with a vocal from Michael Vidal that’s on the edge of frenzy, it’s thrilling stuff, and only gets better with each repeat listen. The good news is that much of the rest of Crush manages to maintain this high standard. Opening track ‘Sequins’ starts off with moody, downbeat guitars and gloomy vocals before a buoyant new wave hook turns the track on its head. On ‘Dreaming Of My Love (Chasing After You)’, Vidal’s austere vocals are pitched to great effect against an almost Game Boyesque electronic backdrop, while ‘We Have To Mask’ is a slowly pulsing slice of elegant synth-pop.

Arguably the standout cut - aside from the aforementioned ‘Throwing Shade’ - is ‘Repeating Angel’, which slowly builds from a swell of quivering electronics and mournful guitars to a sublime synth-led chorus that crackles with dark romance. Elsewhere, the climax of ‘To Tears’ nods towards the danceable math-rock of Foals, while ‘November’ is probably closest in spirit to Skeleton, a feverish guitar romp with some breathless drumwork.

Overall, Crush is a very successful change of direction. Abe Vigoda might not have seemed the most likely candidates to join the minimal/cold wave set, but the shoe fits surprisingly well: they manage to integrate that familiar raw energy with sleeker sonic backdrops, and as a result Crush never falls into the trap of sounding like a pastiche. It’s perhaps not quite on the same level as their touring buddies’ 2009 LP Love Comes Close, but you have to admire any band that can take a sharp left turn and still emerge with their vitality intact.