This Heat crawled out from the wreckage of punk’s crash and burn, during a time in which a multitude of great UK post-punk bands were taking punk’s noise and energy and anger, and twisting it into new forms of expression. But This Heat couldn’t really be described as post-punk, exactly—there wasn’t really any punk to them, only post-…something.
Their first, self-titled album contained mostly experimental instrumental pieces with tape manipulation and loops combined with traditional instruments—think ambient-industrial sounds with off-putting, dissonant textures and occasional jittery, electronic beats. The second album, Deceit, incorporated more vocals and slightly more traditional song structures, yet was perhaps even more uncompromising.
Unknown at the time (I hadn’t heard about them until the 21st century, when I first read about them in Pitchfork), their music feels utterly contemporary.
Check it out.
Cover Art:
- Deceit: Source, Discogs.com, Fair use.
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