I Killed Techno! - Young, Dumb, & Dead (review)
I Killed Techno!’s Halloween album adds some cherishable oddities among his signature cyberpunk style and horror b-movie goofiness.
Score: 7/10
A major factor of I Killed Techno!’s appeal, along with his minimal electropunk and horror abrasiveness, is his shock rock live presence. It’s a sweaty, physical, loud, and borderline violent adventure that has given him a cult reputation within local house show circles. It’s a shame that the RGV has had to move on without live concerts, but he seems to have carried over some of his up-close vigor into this studio album, sounding as inspired as ever.
There are plenty of amusing horror tales and atmospheres, but he also dives into topics that are sensitive and topical. His songs are usually performed in creepy nonchalant narration or a deadpan delivery, but this time, they come with his wounded shrieks that he usually reserves for his live shows. With over a decade’s worth of musical output, IKT still has a lot to say, and a lot of cyber-horror to unleash.
Most of the album is classic IKT with its niche retro imagery— campy arcade synth leads that buzz, squeak, and scrape, rudimentary drum machines, and dry production — but that’s not to say his music has gone stagnant. In From The Ashes Of A Cop Car, injustice from police brutality is screamed to the heavens over a plodding dystopian backdrop. “The pigs they will walk, history will talk,” he yells with some of the most fierce, and yet, hopeless conviction in his entire discography.
The dreadful bliss of the warped orchestral strings of I’m Losing Me hits the gothic sweet spot, while the doom and gloom synths of Body /// Horror accompany his lyrics of body image struggles while looking in a mirror.
The double-time tempo of Be My Victim and I Wanna Play Your Funeral brings some fun and wicked amusement to the album, especially in the latter. “I wanna drink a bottle of Jim with your decaying corpse. . . I wanna throw a trash can at your grieving family,” he sings in vintage punk rock fashion. It’s as humorous as it is transgressive, but hey, he’ll “play the show for free.”
The softer timbre, tranquil melody, and swung bass lines make Junkie Love a standout on the album. The way that the gentler elements are juxtaposed against the harsh vocals, rapid drums, and lyrics about overdosing with a significant other make this one of the most twisted love songs to come out of the RGV.
A guest appearance by Pillowsnake in the hip-hop inflected When I Get Famous Delete My Twitter History makes it a memorable finale. They take shots at Donald Trump and escalations of political divide through social media. “There’s no monster in your closet, he’s not in your head. He’s in the White House and he wants us dead,” IKT sings before Pillowsnake jumps in to call out tribalism and his own discontent with the president. “Rio Grande, uber alles. I Killed Techno, uber alles. . . I’m the pervert, you’re the pageant.” There are two slightly different endings to the song on streaming apps and Bandcamp, but they both are relaxed and blurry ambient passages that are full of melancholy but also a sense of relief that works as an indiscernible goodbye.
It’s the sound we’ve grown familiar with over the years as we’ve come to know I Killed Techno! the project, but now that social distancing has kept him off the stage (or the floor for house shows) we’re seeing more of I Killed Techno! the person. The goofy horror movie junkie and rudimentary production techniques are still at the heart of the music, but we’re also seeing another artist’s inspiration and resilience in this backward year.
Score: 7/10
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