Circlesquare

Remember that kid in high school who always wore dark hoodies, kept to himself at lunch and never seemed to be without headphones? Thanks to the Vancouver-based group Circlesquare, that guy now has a soundtrack to his teenaged brooding. (If that’s not you now, there’s a good chance that was you at some point. We know it. You can’t fool us.) The group started out as a project of artist March21 and incorporated three others, but by the time of this LP it’s just the artist in the studio and two cohorts on stage. The debut LP is made of dark, moody minimal techno slowed down within a couple of BPMs of its life, with a couple of guitar sounds thrown in to keep it from being art techno. The effect is like fully indulging in a good dark sulk. While dealing with juvenile themes lyrically, for example stealing your parents’ car and lighting things on fire in the song "The Theme for Tonight,” Circlesquare avoids immaturity by employing precise production, effective kinks in song structure and by maintaining a solid theme throughout the record. But the real reason this stands out is that thing you can’t put your finger on: the overall air of mystery.