Three years on from 2018's Pinned, A Place to Bury Strangers start fresh and return to their roots with the Hologram EP. This is their first release on frontman Oliver Ackermann's Ded Strange label and the first to feature the lineup of drummer Sandra Fedowitz and bassist John Fedowitz, whose creative relationship with Ackermann dates all the way back to their days in Skywave during the '90s and early 2000s. Similarly, Hologram offers a much rawer and unhinged version of APTBS' sound than might have been expected after Pinned's sleek electronic experiments. In fact, when it comes to in-the-red sonics, these songs about loss and betrayal might even surpass 2007's self-titled debut album. The EP kicks off with a couple of outbursts that serve as potent reminders of why A Place to Bury Strangers were once deemed New York's loudest band. From its stuttering beat to its low-slung riffs, "End of the Night" is caked in ear-splitting distortion and feedback; along with the garagey "I Might Have," it's a perfect example of how Ackermann and company excel at sounding furious and detached at the same time. Though Hologram shows APTBS' noise rock is still in rude health, it also underscores how much more they can do. With its whiplash beats and wildly torquing guitars, "In My Hive" is an aptly named buzzing bundle of nerves that is the EP's most imaginatively engineered sonic collage; "Playing the Part" dips into silvery, surfy philosophizing that distantly echoes "Don't Fear the Reaper"; and "I Need You" reaffirms the band can stretch out as skillfully as they lash out, teasing listeners for minutes before the chorus arrives in a halo of blissful noise. Song for song, Hologram is a highly concentrated dose of all of A Place to Bury Strangers' strengths and a welcome return.
© Heather Phares /TiVo