LUC

They say every Beatles tune birthed its own style of rock n roll. They say every Black Sabbath track spawned its own sub-genre of metal. In a way, the same thing can be said for industrial rock kingpins, Nine Inch Nails. At first glance, one understands that a generation of angry youth was inspired by their fits of boundless rage channelled through chainsaw guitars, mangled machine synths and bandleader Trent Reznor's iconic 'howl into the void' scream. However, there was far more to unpack from this group than mere brooding angst. Sure, Nails had their moments of unbridled animalistic fury but Reznor could also craft a tune of slick pop perfection. He cobbled together disparate palettes of obtuse noises and cinched them into a crackling piece of ear candy. This influence goes far beyond industrial, or even rock music. The ambitious leaps that he made pushed hip-hop, EDM and pop music in wild new directions. The new guard of musical figureheads may not have NIN records on their personal playlists but you can guarantee that their producers do.

L.A. based electronic rock duo LUC are unleashing their debut EP Glow, however, the two are far from newcomers. Singer Kari Kimmel has written songs that have been recorded by The Backstreet Boys, Ke$ha, Joe Jonas, and Demi Lovato and has sung backup for Ringo Starr, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Alicia Keys and John Mayer *dusts shoulders*. Producer and multi-instrumentalist Joe Corcoran has engineered two platinum records, composed countless TV and film scores and produced Chris Hatfield's famous cover of 'Space Oddity' floating round in his tin can, far above the moon. With Glow, the two let loose with a string of irresistibly catchy electro-garage tunes that carry on from where Reznor's most punchy pop hits left off.

The influence is apparent from the first two shots fired from the drum machine, which bear more than a passing resemblance to Reznor's enduring dirty dance floor hit 'Closer'. A plucky overdriven bass line gets your bones up and moving. Kimmel struts in to frame with the hot knife through butter momentum of a runway model. Flanking her are grainy, brassy synths and scrappy guitar outbursts. Corcoran's guitar layers play the part of chirping onlookers, all with their own spastic, unfiltered contributions. Kimmel's vocals cascade down in pillowy strata. This title track takes a bevvy of unruly components and moulds them into glassy pop perfection.

'Over It' has the sassy girl power ethos of Icona Pop's 'I Love It', fully revelling in the “I don't care, I do what I want!” attitude. Two minutes of gleeful freedom poised to be another rebellious anthem. 'Running Down the Halls' has a similar levity and freedom of releasing oneself from unwanted baggage. Another catchy bit of electro-indie goodness. The haunting closer 'Lost In Love' takes a wistful look back over a creeping guitar line and spilt-milk synth swells.

The Glow EP is a beautifully crafted piece of modern, pastiche pop. Buzzing with enough raw, analog weirdness to keep it interesting but locked into a tight, little, danceable package. To the casual listener, the Nine Inch Nails comparisons might never come to mind. This is by no means 'March of the Pigs'. The band themselves qualify their style, calling it “A modernized Blondie crossed with Saint Vincent and NIN”. However, to the initiated, the inspiration of that misfit from small town Pennsylvania is found throughout the album, as it is in much of modern music.