Blondes - PERSUASION [12" VINYL]

It seems like there's a techno/house revival happening lately. Just look at artists like Disclosure or Julio Bashmore who are making music that sounds like it's straight out of the 90s when raves were frequented by people looking not only for an escape from the mainstream, but also just flat-out good dance music.

Blondes, made up of Sam Haar and Zach Steinman, are another act joining this trend. The EP Persuasion is little in its three-song size, but it's fresh, solid, and packs enough of a punch to make a mark.

Title track 'Persuasion' is tightly focused, yet liquid in movement. Swirling patterns take shape and float above the pulsing beat, which keeps the whole thing grounded. It works like a balloon on a string - just as you feel it rising too far out of reach it's gently tugged back down to keep it in view.

'Son' is probably the best track on here. An industrial, factory-like aura colors the driving beat. There's a gradual layering of elements leading to one of those heavenly dancefloor moments where heads and hands reach upward: a disembodied, distorted vocal sample intrudes upon the scene and seems to be pulling and calling anyone that will hear it. It feels uncertain, but intriguing nonetheless.

Enveloping and suffocating, 'Inner Motive' seems appropriately titled. Sounds and beats try to break through the walled bass line that runs through the song. A steady dose of confusion that's intercut by exploding fragments of noise, it's an assault on the senses that's unrelenting. It pounds its way into your head and stays there for a while, leaving you slightly numbed by the sting.

Here's hoping that Blondes will continue to make dance music that challenges and isn't just content to please the foot-tapping masses. Persuasion asks for full-bodied involvement, and it appears only the bold will be able to answer.