Blacktzar: Rust

Blacktzar are the latest musical outfit who think they can make some quick cash looping a synth over some drum beats, ripping off the 80s in the process, writes Ryan Butcher.



It’s not their fault for thinking so. So many this year have made it look easy. La Roux shot to the top of chart prominence earlier this year with her ghost-of-Annie-Lennox electronica, and White Lies have proved a triumphant hit throughout the festival season with their Joy Division-tinged new wave. The difference being that they can back up their homage with an unashamed sense of melody, a knack for song writing, and a respect for the work of their predecessors, whereas Blacktzar seem to whimper out of the speakers with a self-pitying sigh, almost forcing you to lose interest before they’ve even begun.

Musically, the song isn’t terrible. In four minutes, Blacktzar manage to squeeze in nods to Depeche Mode, New Order, Aha, and perhaps even a touch of Duran Duran. But somehow in the production, any magic these bands possessed has been stripped away and the thing comes across sounding stagnant, stale, and middle-aged.

With Rust, it seems like Tom McGarrigle and Paul Bryan started out by writing a list of 80s clichés, and seeing just how many they could fit into the lyrics. “What’s the point in believing? What’s the point of fuss? What’s the point in sharing? Only makes things worse,” is just one of the unnecessarily bleak lyrics, probably written under a grey Glaswegian sky. In the dark. In black ink. While wearing sunglasses.

It’s almost reminiscent of that period in the year 2000, when Coldplay and Travis dominated rock music, and people were waiting for The Strokes to come along and kick-start the new music revolution. Anyway, it was back then when bands thought they could make anything sell as long as it was emotive, introspective and slightly pensive. Rust comes across like a product of a marketing machine. To their credit, they’ve tried to create something they think could seamlessly slot in to the top 40 without anyone raising an eyebrow. But unless you’re into poorly written, vacuous electric disco, and already have every New Order album, this is best avoided.

Rust is already available on iTunes, and will get a physical release from Scooter Records on Monday, October 12. If this is really your kind of thing, look out for a series of live shows in support of the single, where you can probably here more songs about their girlfriends leaving them in the 80s.

MARKS: 2/10