Split Apex - Thoughts in 3D [ Ever/Never Records - 2025]Nestled somewhere between Throbbing Gristle and Einstürzende Neubauten, with a bit of Mark E. Smith thrown in, Split Apex's Thoughts in 3D is a throwback recipe, to be sure, except the ingredients themselves sound very much of today. The duo that makes up this outfit have restrained themselves, almost ascetically, to the use of very few elements: punchy electric bass, plucked guitar, minimal drum hits, noise loops, and voice. Spread over 5 tracks, the individual pieces feel like live takes, hanging loosely together, marching forward without overly precise refinement behind the mixing desk. The first song, "Peninsula", begins with some feedback, which is quickly resolved into the core elements. The next is "Crux Machine" whose bass kick sounds like an amplified heartbeat (perhaps a contact mic?). Either way, it's unsettling and dark, which is the mood that predominates, spacious and insubordinate.
This posturing is key to preserving the morbid undertones of previous acts like those mentioned, a tribute to the context as well as the content of this music. At the end, there is not so much conclusion as surrender, the throbbing bass a languid remainder on the final track, "People, Nerves." Gone too are the beats, however faint, replaced by echoing voices absent the vigour and bite that preceded them. Some final bass phrasing and a few bleeps and blips make sure that we notice that Thoughts in 3D is drowning, into nothing more than a delay line emptied of its signal.
Fans of the aforementioned bands might find themselves back in the warehouse parties of yesteryear. Others will have to follow the echo into the wild sea that surrounds it. Very recommended..dip in here   Colin Lang
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