Loathe have released their fourth album, A Stranger to You, after a six-year gap, marking a radical departure from their metalcore origins. The Liverpudlian band aimed to make something special, resulting in an odyssey of mixed and colliding genres. The album features granite-hard riffs and industrial noise alongside balm-like electronics, acoustic guitars, shoegaze, jazz piano, and guest rapper Bucki Sugar's spoken-word narratives. Other guests include Olli Appleyard from Static Dress, production duo Nowhere2run, and jazz-soul producer Jordan Rakei.
Musical Handbrake Turns and Influences
Precedents for this radical metal departure include Deafheaven's Ordinary Corrupt Human Love and Linkin Park's A Thousand Suns, but Loathe execute even more musical handbrake turns. Tracks like 'Block of Flats' hurtle between gentle atmospherics and guttural vocals. 'Fortress Down' and 'Meet My Maker' suggest a slightly heavier Muse, while 'Harder to Pretend' recalls Herbie Hancock's early 70s jazz fusion. 'The Way It Breaks' haunts with Disintegration-era Cure vibes.
Heavy Roots Remain
Loathe haven't abandoned heavy music—'Gemini' and 'Revenant' are granite-hard. However, the frequent metamorphosis is underpinned by excellent songwriting. The wildest curveball, 'The Ladder,' is an astonishingly beautiful love song. In lesser hands, this album could have been a ragbag, but the band's bold vision is masterfully executed, making for a thrilling ride where you never expect what's coming next.
