Hysterical Love Project Oil Slicks (Song For The Spirals) (2023)
In sociology and psychology, hysteria is used to refer to a temporary state of ungovernable emotional excess. Sigmund Freud spent the better part of his life psychoanalyzing the human condition, one of his key insights being that lived trauma was the root of hysterical symptoms.
Ike Zwanikken and Brooklyn Mellar draw on this tradition. Over the past three years, the New Zealand-born duo have released a triptych of hysterically good trip-hop and dream-pop-inspired records under the name Hysterical Love Project. These loved-up Antipodeans meander easefully between the late 1980s and early 1990s trip-hop, dream pop, shoegaze and rock/electronic scenes—Mellar's downtempo vocals combined with Zwanikken's blissed-out sequencer lines and bass-heavy modern production style help strike a nice balance between a maudlin sense of the past and the elated feeling of being in a thriving relationship.
Tracks like “Lavender”, “Ionian Sea” and “Your Laugh as my Ringtone” from their most recent album Lashes will make you want to run a bath, light several candles and melt into a steamy haze of sweet abandon—or, according to the band, their music is best enjoyed in “dappled sunlight with a huge glass of ice-cold sparkling water.”
Their sound is perhaps best captured by the track “Oil Slicks (Song for The Spirals)”, comprised of crunchy drums, gauzy downcast vocals, shimmering keys and profoundly deep low-end signal, era-spanning influences, ranging from bands like Bowery Electric to HTRK. It's the kind of stuff that gets inside your head and swashes around for days on end in a perfect loop. Originally released on CD-only, Lashes has just gotten the full vinyl treatment. Snag yourself a copy—or listen via the link below—and get “Lashed by the blue hot debris of missing…”
Start the conversation
Become a paid member of The Rest to gain access to the comments section.