Sextile - Yes, Please. (Colored Vinyl, Yellow)

Some bands find their groove and stick to it; others reinvent themselves constantly.

Sextile belongs to the latter camp, embracing the thrill of an ever-changing road

map. The LA duo of Melissa Scaduto and Brady Keehn craft music with a lust for

life, drawing inspiration from no wave to hardstyle. Their latest album, yes, please,

pushes their sound into bold new territory, fusing anarchic electro fire with raw

personal recollections-and enough beefed-up bass to bust a speaker or two.

yes, please. Is an album of contrasts: a vulnerable record that bares it's soul as much

as it revels in excess, showing just how far you can push your sound when you

shake off your inhibitions. Together, the pair betray a confidence that never wavers,

making a bold splash on the speedy intro with a rave siren cut from a '00s New

York house party or sweaty Brooklyn warehouse. By the same token, the spirit of

electroclash stalks the building, flashing it's ID on the cowbell-peppered thunderbolts of "Freak Eyes" and "Rearrange", and turning in a scuzzy dancefloor bomb

with "Women Respond to Bass". High on endorphins, "Push Ups"-which features

vocals from Jehnny Beth-is pure muscle music, fortified by hoover bass and

fleshed out by synths that hammer as hard as lumps of hail on a glass roof.

But behind the slogans, sass, and monster dance energy lies an intimacy that can

only be found from opening up about painful, life-altering events. "Hospital" and

"Soggy Newports" reflect Scaduto's harrowing experience in a New York state-run

facility after a near-fatal accident. "Resist" tackles abortion rights, while "Penny

Rose" explores US education, AI, and future generations. Scaduto's elastic vocals

shine throughout, from the razor-sharp synths of "S is For" to the trance-pop

heights of "Kids," featuring Izzy Glaudini from Automatic.

yes, please. Is an action-packed dance record stuffed with wild, heady roof-raisers

but is in the same breath a testament to living, and never looking back. In opening

themselves up to a new "freeing" way of making music, Sextile have whipped up

their most creative offering to date. Then again, you just know they still have so

much more to give.