Attack sustain decay release

From the minute the rip-roaring bassline and flat nu-beat throb of ‘La Rock 01’-referencing opener ‘Sleep Deprivation’ unfurl, your hunch about SMD’s reasonably eagerly-awaited album is confirmed: all ‘Attack Sustain Decay Release’ is missing is a free glowstick. An abrasive mix of all things that come with an ‘electro’ prefix: pop, techno, house and, um, rave, ‘ASDR’ is a neon-clad rush: previous singles ‘Hustler’ and the ludicrous ‘It’s The Beat’ are unarguable sugar-rushes, while jittery 303-fest ‘Tits and Acid’ is an enjoyable punch in the face. But even though it’s only 35 minutes long, ‘ASDR’ is fucking draining – scratch at the surface, and the ‘whaHEY!’ veneer wears thin: it’s either to abrasive, too carefully considered (canny uber-producer James Ford has left no box unticked) or, occasionally, shit (the saccharine p-funk-pop of ‘I Got This Down’, the truly awful ‘I Believe’). The understated ‘Wooden’ is a stand-out, mainly because it’s less brash than the others: the poppy, Kraftwerk-ian synth ripples, half-schaffel beat and italo-ish melody shine. ‘Attack Sustain Decay Release’ will either appeal or appal: for every snob who sniffs at this Tesco techno, there’s a saucer-eyed youth having the best night of their nascent raving career.