The title of Australian trio PVT’s fourth effort Homosapien sheds light on the band’s perspective on sound. With its scientific tinge, the title alludes to the electronic infrastructure of the album. The band’s progression from instrumental electronic rock to a more electro synth-pop sound began with their last album, Church with No Magic (2010)—a direction which they pursue more extensively in Homosapien.
For the first time, PVT crafts songs with real vocal tracks, albeit with simplistic lyrics. Though not all the vocals are intelligible, such as the mumbling warbles in the psychedelic “New Morning,” they add a human touch to their songs. Layered vocals are chopped up, and digitally processed, as exemplified by the album’s title track, providing a haunting fusion of man and machine. The album opens with the floating “Shiver,” which sounds like a whimsical score for an ’80s video game. The soft beeping noises reappear on the closing track “Ziggaraut.” In between the two plinking bookends, however, a darker, more industrial sound pervades. Typical of this harsher sound is the standout, “Electric,” with its heavy mechanical synth bass, and ominously swelling distorted guitars. A mixture of live and syncopated drum programming creates dynamic percussion, driving the songs along and inducing head-bopping along the way.
As with most experimental music, Homosapien is an idiosyncratic album that becomes more fascinating over multiple listens as the different sonic layers sink in.
