Rick Shaffer stormed by way of on a hypnotic darkish wave together with his newest single, Pleasure, a observe pulled from his thirteenth solo album, Rites & Tales. He prowls by way of corridors haunted by Nick Cave, Pleasure Division, The Doorways, and Sisters of Mercy, but retains the static from swallowing him entire by twisting his personal depraved signatures into the shadows. Round monochromatic riffs that shimmer like chilly metal, he lets his lascivious vocals rise and fall, teasing the identical perpetual starvation that after poured from The Cramps, although nonetheless carrying his debonair post-punk mark.
The observe seems like an incantation, tempting the listener into Shaffer’s nocturnal world the place darkness and decadence coalesce. His voice smoulders with menace and seduction, carried by sharp guitars that slice by way of the haze with precision. It’s post-punk stripped of nostalgia, channelled as an alternative into one thing ritualistic and timeless.
Shaffer’s repute was cast lengthy earlier than Pleasure; from his early work with Marianne Faithfull, Peter Murphy, and Marc Almond, to a solo catalogue that has run by way of uncooked storage blues, proto-punk fervour, and swamp-soaked psychedelia.
Since his 2010 debut, he has by no means misplaced that primal starvation for distortion and immediacy, releasing 13 albums that burn with the identical fireplace, even when the sounds mutate. With Rites & Tales, he affords one other chapter in his stressed legacy, proving his urge for food for chaos stays unquenched.
Pleasure is now obtainable on all main streaming platforms, together with Spotify.Â
Overview by Amelia Vandergast
