Staff Reviews

Blondes - Rein + Persuasion

Review by Gavin Miller

Blondes at their most heads-down ferocious.»

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'Persuasion' is a trio of new tracks by Blondes. The duo's first offering since 'Swisher', 'Persuasion' furthers the extemporized themes explored on that album but reveal Sam Haar and Zach Steinmanto be as dexterous in the studio as they are at motivating live, primal techno. With Haar and Steinman no longer living within earshot of each other, the distance has inspired a new work ethic. In the creative incubation since Swisher's release, the duo's improvisational practice honed live in club settings has evolved from excursive to immediate and exacted. The engine of 'Persuasion' is fueled by kinetic textures and decisions. Melodies follow unpredictable paths and flare into spiraling percussion. Sounds simultaneously rise and crash entering and exiting the different track environments. Still, the groove remains true, a grounding technique. Space and time have refined Blondes blend of live dynamics and studio discovery. What sets 'Persuasion' apart from their prior records is the sense of Haar and Steinman's maturation behind the controls, yielding more propulsive, assertive, and persuasive forces than ever.
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