SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LOCUST – SPECTRAL+

LOCUST
SPECTRAL+
TODO RECORDS

Locust, a London-based electronic band from Croydon, released their 10th studio album Spectral+. Mark Van Hoen produced the LP, using ominous drone music and synthesizers to complement guest vocalists. Spectral+ allows space for soaring instrumental compositions, stacked in feel-good harmonies across 10 tracks.

Opening with “Shape of Another,” which blends R&B and electronic sounds, it is easy to put this on and leave it on throughout your morning or commute to work. The second track “Long Distance Lover” stays in the techno lane and keeps the listener in one place throughout the guitar-infused melody. The vocals on Spectral+ almost come second to the soundboard on this record led by ambient-infused production that will keep the audience engaged through each song.

“White Light” is an excellent transitional track that represents the nature of Spectral+ at its best. It carries an ascending chorus led by synthesizers and keyboards that will resonate well with devoted listeners looking for escapism to turn their minds off for 40 minutes and focus on the music.

The second half of this record represents a more up-tempo side of Locust with the techno-influenced track “Soul Sky” and the danceable “No Space For Love.” Spectral+ would be a completely different record without these tracks as both of these songs depart from the drone-infused instrumental and allow for pop-infused harmonies to stand out on the LP.

The 80s melodic “Face It!” is on par with this collection of songs. The track is laid back and treads in an acoustic refrain, blended into the EDM mix of what Locust presents in combining multiple styles of house music layered on top of synthesizers.

Locust does not cater to pop music, although “Love Stays” is by far the most pop-friendly track on Spectral+. While it was a single and is placed as the second-to-last song, it was placed there for a reason, as typical industry tracklistings place the single at the start of the record. Locust is removing themselves from industry norms and breaking through in a new era of techno. Ending the album on a relaxed note, “Midori / Falls Away From Me” closes Spectral+ with keyboards stacked in orchestral strings.

The experience of listening to Spectral+ is a slow build that rises up to a well-constructed album; the track listing is intentional to create an immersive electronic sound that can only work by playing the record from start to end. The instrumentals on the album allow for the production to speak for itself.

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