Oakland’s Houses of Heaven fuse the grit of early industrial
with dizzying hits of EBM, techno, and drum & bass, all imbued
with lyrical themes that draw equally from the emotional and
the mechanical. Within/Without, their sophomore LP for Felte,
delves into a realm of intricate intensity, pushing electronics to
the forefront with the production prowess of Matia Simovich
(INHALT), and features top-of-their-game guest vocals from
Douglas McCarthy (Nitzer Ebb) and Mariana Saldaña
(BOAN).
While the dub-influenced, shoegaze throb of Silent Places
(2020) immersed itself in the paradox of opulence against the
unsettling backdrop of California’s wildfires, Within/Without
confronts social order through the lens of inner strife. It
explores a contrast between the fantasy worlds and unfiltered
truths that define modern survival, and a yearning for genuine
human connection brought on by the anxiety and isolation of
technology.
On Within/Without, Houses of Heaven truly come into their own
with a distinctive alloy of electronic, industrial, psychedelic and
shoegaze elements. They create a dynamic conduit for discord
and harmony with a profoundly human essence, bridging
interior lives and exterior pressures through visceral songcraft
and deft pacing. In a cruel and technologically dominated
world, emotional gridlock is rampant. Yet, in the propulsive
paranoia of album highlight 'Flesh Techniques', we’re
reminded that it’s often best to 'breathe in / these dreams
again / shake, shake it off'.
