Je$us Loves Amerika

"FYA" (EP, 2011)

I don’t know what they’ve been feeding their artists on over at Armalyte Industries lately but this new release from Je$us Loves Amerika suggests whatever it is it is doing them wonders. After Concrete Lung’s debut LP last year and K-Nitrate’s last two releases all raising eyebrows to hitherto unreached heights for each of those artists, JLA turn in their most impressive work to date on this mighty four-track EP.

The first take on the EP title is what kicks things off, and its mix giving equal weighting between the opening sequencers, cool skipping drum kit, stabbing guitar and “I’ve just lost the will to live” hollering vocals is at once old-school inspired and yet contemporary. The slightly extended FYA (i! – Find Your Answers Remix) is lkely to have the unsuspecting reaching for their headphones concerned that they’ve fucked them up. This weirdly glitching low-fi outing is almost unrecognisable bar the chorus lyrics. A keyboard-groove heavy Demo version of Kill Yourself closes things nicely.

However, it is instrumental epic epT that is the glistening gem amongst the rocks here. It summons up Ministry at their finest, brilliantly blending repetitive rhythms, synths, noise, and an incessantly short basic drum loop and sequencer that combine to create a hypnotic nirvana. And at just under six minutes it still sounds like half the length it should be. It’s good through headphones and played loud on a sound system, but I’d love to hear this monster live. The best JLA composition to date. 8/10

Rob Dyer (March 2012)

Official Je$us Loves Amerika website: www.jesuslovesamerika.co.uk