‘Filthy Love’, the lead single from We Are Enfant Terrible’s debut album ‘Explicit Pictures’ impressed me with its intelligent, seductive groove. The question was always going to be whether or not they could sustain that kind of standard over the duration of a long-player, and the good news is that it’s a resounding ‘yes’.
Using minimal kit – namely laptops, with computer games being their primary sonic inspiration and source of sounds – they've utilised comparatively primitive digital sounds to produce a set that has real energy. It might sound curious, a double-standard, even, that I gave Evil Madness’ album a bit of a pasting just days ago for producing an album that is fundamentally doing the same thing. The difference isn’t the ingredients, but how they’re put together, and We Are Enfant Terrible adroitly assemble the basic elements using a formula that’s simple but effective.
The vocals – cool, aloof yet strangely magnetic vocals at that – make a great difference, as does the brevity of each track. And never underestimate the power of a decent hook or a song that doesn’t outstay its welcome: most of the tracks on ‘Explicit Pictures’ are well short of the four-minute mark.
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It’s smart, sassy, articulate stuff: post-punk electro with bedroom recording values, ‘Explicit Pictures’ has an immediacy and a warmth of tone that feeds through every moment of the album’s 12 jittery, bleepy microdramas. Catchy and vibrant and just a bit sleazy, there’s am lot to recommend ‘Explicit Pictures’, and the more I hear it, the more I like it.
We Are Enfant Terrible Online
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