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The first full-length release from Cleveland’s Disintegration brings their intricate circuitry of nocturnal synthwave and noise-saturated post-punk to a new plateau. Sharper, leaner, and more involved than the material on their first EP, Shiver in a Weak Light is a huge step forward in terms of production, atmosphere, and overall construction, with singer/synthesist Haley Himiko turning in stellar vocal performances, guitarist/vocalist Noah Anthony and bassist Christopher Brown moving in lockstep, and new drummer David MacCluskie adding clatter and thump to the gridded framework the band architects and then dismantles on every song. The album roves between shadowy dream sequences and slow-motion shatter, drawing a dark and futuristic sound that’s sometimes familiar, sometimes confounding, but always captivating.
Listening closely to the web of sounds on “In Your Diary” reveals a series of unlikely turns and transitions; like the brittle guitar line that arrives out of nowhere to lace up a propulsive chorus, the nearly subliminal hits of percussion that move throughout the stereo field, and a song structure that jumps between its parts in unexpected ways, always landing on a new hook. “Hideaway” connects its fragmented sections in a perfect balance of dissonant chaos and shout-along melodies. Live bass and guitar parts are processed until they sound more like alien synth programming, with choppy rhythms bouncing like sequenced ones and zeroes. Each repeated listen to Shiver in a Weak Light unlocks a new room of sounds and ideas that may have gone unnoticed the time before. It’s an album that beckons the listener to trek ever deeper into its network of neon hallways and interconnected underground tunnels, exploring a world where it’s always night and time moves differently.