When it comes to electronic music, ADULT. has been blazing their own path for close to thirty years. The husband-and-wife duo has taken elements of electroclash, techno, and synthpop and woven a healthy amount of punk and other aggressive/raw styles into their material. Their discography has shifted in sound with each release, sometimes going for rawer and dissonant instrumentation while others have focused more on booming rhythms and moodier melodies, but the jagged and direct vocal approach of Nicola Kuperus has remained a constant. That same aspect has made ADULT. a love or hate type of artist, but there have been a lot of interesting layers and samples to uncover for those that were drawn in by the more abrasive exterior. Now on their tenth full length, Kissing Luck Goodbye, these core elements have been reinforced as there’s a level of enhanced clarity to both the instrumentation and vocals but things feel even more aggressive and urgent.
Kissing Luck Goodbye may boast added clarity to its production compared to some of the duo’s past work, but that doesn’t mean that they’ve lost the jagged edges that have defined their sound. Don’t expect the noisiness and ear piercing qualities of 2007’s Why Bother?, but there are songs here that head into more of a no-wave and industrial edge where the beats are thumping but have layers of jagged sound placed over top of them. The title track and “No One Is Coming” are great examples, as they have the danceable beats and hints of synthpop but the layers that are placed over top have this more distorted, alien sound that makes things feel a bit more hostile and aggressive. “No Song” feels the most outright industrial ADULT. has been in a little while, as the way the layers destroy and rebuild each other makes for a machinelike ambiance. What struck me about the bigger, bolder sound on this album is how it closer resembles what things sound like in a live setting, and the faster and more urgent pacing plays a significant role in achieving that. It’s not as outright catchy as some past material (you won’t get moodier bangers like “Perversions of Humankind” this time around), but there are specific sections and samples that have stuck out over repeat listens. There are a few that don’t quite hit the mark, as while the sample heavy “Freaks” flows well with the rest of the tracks it drags on a bit too long for my tastes, while “So Unpleasant” comes and goes without leaving an impact.
As mentioned earlier, there have been some tweaks to the band’s sound that make Nicola Kuperus’ vocals stand out even more than before. If you weren’t already a fan of her style Kissing Luck Goodbye certainly isn’t going to change that, but if it was part of what drew you into ADULT. in the past then expect quite a few songs to have some real impact right from that initial listen. Kuperus has always placed an emphasis on repeated verses and an approach that’s somewhere between spoken word and singing, with dips into more aggressive pitches. This album is noticeably angrier and in your face compared to some of the more detached performances of years past, but it works well with the industrial and bass heavy instrumentation. My favorite moments are often those where the beats suddenly drop out and let the vocals fill the entire space for a short period of time before coming back in, as it has a lot of intensity and punches you right in the stomach.
ADULT. has always marched at their own pace, and if you weren’t into the quirkier elements and purposefully jarring vocals in the past album ten isn’t likely to make you think any differently. But if you’re like me and was drawn in by their live performance at some point in the past, Kissing Luck Goodbye feels like one of the best representations of the level of energy and emotion you’ll get on-stage. It doesn’t stand as my favorite from their discography as not every song fully sticks the landing. But the shift towards grittier electronics and jagged bass lines makes this one hit hard and the as you dive in the samples and specific beats stand out more and more. Kissing Luck Goodbye is available from Dais Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg