Atom Brigade - Atom Brigade

Released: August 11

Forming something akin to a super group, Atom Brigade consists primarily of artists Rupert Lally and Martin Jensen with extensive contributions from Star Madman and Oliver Cherer to create a heavily 80s post-punk and new wave influenced album in the vein of artists like Tears for Fears and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. The whole album conveys a moody yet emotive tone that is provided the extra finishing touch from Star Madman and Cherer. 

It's difficult to pick out some of the best tracks on the album as they all fantastically add to the experience. Truly, it feels like there is no wasted space here and every track seems to have it own perfect place. Of the nine tracks we get here, Star Madman appears on two, the first of which is "(We Never) Made It To Forever" and the other is "New Illusion." The latter of these two tracks is a close and intimate track that gives the vibes of a love song but with slightly sad undertones, almost as if someone stuck Robert Smith in a room full of synthesizers and told him to come up with something. Oliver Cherer comes in on three tracks with his first appearance being "Little Town," a slow and subtle bit of synth pop with a dark message of life like acid rain falling. However, one of his other contributions, "Oh Bader Meinhoff," takes a much different approach with a more upbeat composition that has what feels like the slightest bit of funk influence. 

The rest of the album is driven entirely by Jensen and Lally with their intricate yet readily accessible electronic compositions including the the highly atmospheric and suspense-thriller soundtrack-esque track "Wet Sand" and the almost motivational sounding "Safe Travels." These tracks make for an interesting addition as they almost seem to provide a type of sonic bridge between the electro-pop vocal tracks, giving us the reminder that this is first and foremost an electronic project with the post-punk pop edge the takes it to the next level.