“HE&I” is Death Rattle’s debut EP although it feels as though these guys have been around for quite a while. The London duo have spent the last year releasing videos and playing shows, doing everything themselves, creating their world visually and sonically, one that is strange and beguiling.
From the very first track, “The Dig” you can literally feel yourself being sucked into their delectable, dark electro sounds. The video for “The Dig” (the first of their visual trilogy which included videos for “Do As You Please” and “Fixer”) was released last year and features the pair (Chris and Helen Hamilton) as one, spliced together like a some sort of horrific yet beautiful science experiment gone wrong. This first track is by far their strongest and gives you a good insight into this short 4-track journey you’re about to embark upon.
“Do As You Please” is tribal. Helen sings “take what you need, you can do as you please…” as her voice echoes out into the bleak, electrified plain they’ve created as a backdrop. “Fixer” is almost light relief as the pair show a slightly softer side. Helen’s vocals take on a less urgent tone, seeming more playful as they swim over the robotic beats, not dissimilar to NYC based duo Sleigh Bells.
The final stretch of the EP allows us to take a breather. Although they aren’t the strongest tracks of the EP, “Mouse Chorus” and “Sorry For Your Loss” display a different hue to Death Rattle’s songwriting skills. The bleak electro sound is ever present but the more intimate feel of these last two tracks show that they are no one trick pony and this is what marks them out from their peers.
Death Rattle are one of the most intriguing electro duos to emerge from London in a long time. Not for the faint hearted, they are proper musicians with heart and soul, creating in-depth soundscapes that will leave you curious and begging for more.
