HTRK

They sound like “Sade in prison.” Or like an “alternative version of Everything But the Girl.” They’re HTRK, short for Hate Rock. This music has the unnerving surrealism of a David Lynch film and the atmosphere of Suicide, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Godflesh, and Mazzy Star. And perhaps more importantly, it bears traces of the dead friends and – this is a quote – the “fucked-up, dangerous people” that had longed wielded influence over the Australian band. They caught the attention of The Birthday Party, who produced their debut album; they’ve toured with Fuck Buttons, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and The Horrors; they spent part of their career “down and out in Berlin and London.” They rehearsed in a practice space next door to Einstürzende Neubauten, danced all night at Tresor and Berghain, but ultimately moved back to Melbourne after the death of their bass player, Sean Steward. Now Jonnine Standish and Nigel Yang say they don’t feel pressured to be cool at any cost. And their songs have become lighter and even more inviting, Pitchfork notes in a review of the album Rhinestones. We’ll have a listen at the OFF Festival!