No Fun HNW/ TÔLE-ACHE — Split

Here’s a split looking at two different takes on industrial walled noise of the genre. First, South Carolina's No Fun HNW serves up a detailed, textured -meets-uneasy-ambience. Then Germany's TÔLE-ACHE is more urgent, fixed & drilling.affair.

This is a digital only release- it’s monochrome cover takes a drawing of a cut-open cross-section of a pregnant woman, rather bringing to mind the art for the 1981 collab album from NWW/ Whitehouse The 150 Murderous Passions.

So first up we have the No Fun HNW track “The Unflinching Martyr” which rolls in at just over the twenty-minute mark. It’s built around a purring/ lightly rattling sub-bass tone, drilling ‘n’ metal-rattling bound judders, distant knocking to skittering textural detail, and a faintly searing/ taunting ambient undercarriage. I’ve been following this project since it started a year or so back, and I must say this is the most nuanced, detailed, and atmospheric work I’ve heard from it. I could easily have listened to this track for an hour plus- as it’s such a rewarding blend of textures, uneasy ambience, and a general feel of haunted scape yard/ slaughter house come back to life.

Next is TÔLE-ACHE track “Overcomplicate Your Life”- this, I believe, is my first taster of this project's work. Going from their Bandcamp, they have been active since 2019, going on to date at least one hundred plus releases. The track on offer here comes in at just over the thirty-minute mark. It’s constructed around a locked & set mid-ranged roll/ scarping judder and a searing/burr- with a distant bass drone sitting under it. It’s a great contrast to the other track- with a much taunting/ boilingly tense feel- again a most rewarding ‘wall’ though due to its held intensity, so I couldn’t listen to this too much longer than the playtime here.

All in all, a great split- with each party serving a different take on industro- walling. I’ll most certainly be checking out some more of TÔLE-ACHE work.