A Place to Bury Strangers
See Through You
DEDSTRANGE
Since their inception in New York City in the early 2000s, A Place to Bury Strangers have created a certain expectation when it comes to their post-punk sound. Even without any knowledge of their music, the name of the band speaks volumes as far as communicating the darkness they tend to evoke. What their sixth album, See Through You, does is expand upon the electronic, warehouse-rave-set, live sound quality introduced on last year's Hologram EP, creating a bliss-out effect within their harsh original songwriting formula.
See Through You is an album rich with detail that explores the possibilities and limits of post-punk, with elements of electronic music prominently woven in. Heavy use of bass and electro beats as heard on “So Low” and “I Disappear (When You’re Near)” create forward-looking vibes—like glimpsing into a dark, edgy future—while maintaining the same gritty sounds of decades past the band’s always toted. That noise-rock and industrial aesthetic the band’s come to be known for also lends See Through You elements of Berlin-era Bowie and Iggy—songs like “Let’s See Each Other” feel like a return to vocalist Oliver Ackerman’s native New York in the days of CBGB.
The addition of new elements and perfection of familiar qualities make See Through You a special album from A Place to Bury Strangers. Even as its attributes rewrite and reject sonic ideas from previous releases from the band, each song on this album sounds quite different from the next. A Place to Bury Strangers went out of their way to make this record an eclectic and diverse range of sounds within a specific style, leaving room for innovation and rewarding unpredictability.
