The Young Gods are back!

The Swiss industrial pioneers have returned with their new studio L.P. ‘Data Mirage Tangram’, their first full album since 2010’s ‘Everybody Knows’.

Recorded after a time of public experimentation, Young Gods’ main man Franz Treichler has reunited with founding member Cesare Pizzi, and along with drummer Bernard Trontin, have created 7 tracks of dreamlike ambience.

Sharing the same trippy vibe of 2000’s ‘Second Nature’, and feeling more cohesive than the last 2 albums, ‘Data Mirage Tangram’ builds its layers with patience, and is certainly in no hurry to behave like a traditional rock record, such as their 90’s offerings ‘T.V. Sky’ and ‘Only Heaven’. But fear not, when things get heavy (…and they will…), the result is pretty much exhilarating.

The 7 pieces of the puzzle (the “tangram” in question) add up to form what could be described as The Young Gods most satisfying whole, and certainly their most collective work.

Sung entirely in French, and with Treichler’s unmistakable voice, ‘Entre en matière’ is a sublime opener, its loops and samples combined with shimmering guitar. Intriguing, and not fully giving up all the gifts. We leave that to ‘Tear Up the Red Sky’. A persistent beat, and a free and open chorus when the heavy riffs kick in.

Single ‘Figure sans nom’, is quite a highlight. Catchy, bubbling, and with Treichler’s romantic, lilting vocals channelling the Doors amid slide guitars.

The off-kilter and percussive ‘Moon Above’ threatens to halt the momentum, but in reality, the track is just as vital as anything else on offer here. Harmonica, ambiguous and sinister lyrics, and perhaps a nod to Echo and the Bunnymen too.

The heat is turned back up with ‘All My Skin Standing’, a tribal beat over gentle loops and whispers, but fucking hell…THOSE GUITARS! Fiery, and brimming with tension.

‘You Gave Me a Name’ and ‘Everythem’ are more chilled out, highlighting The Young Gods electronic sonic landscape. Revealing new textures time after time, the haunting guitar line and decompression vibe of the final track, along with the Goblin-esque progressive edge, wonderfully exposes the albums ingenuity.

With ‘Data Mirage Tangram’, The Young Gods have crafted a mesmerising journey into their world that’s proof positive of why the band have been, and remain, so influential.

(9/10 Stuart Carroll)

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