Review Summary: Very plain, derivative electronic dance music.
What is "electroclash"? This musical niche of guy-girl electronic dance duos wallows in 8-bit and punk influence, and though being danceable at their core, these groups can be almost paper thin when it comes to anything else. From standout to garden variety, plenty of bands (particularly in Europe) flood this scene,
Crystal Castles being the noise-infused spearheads,
Kap Bambino being the energetic and bitchy party ensemble, and
Sexy Sushi being the goofy, absurd nay-sayers to fully-clothed performances. While similarities are far from unnoticeable, the above groups best represent the primary colors, or ABC's of this genre. It's a bit of a bland genre, though acts like Crystal Castles go a bit further in deviating themselves from their peers.
You Love Her Coz She's Dead is one such electroclash duo, having everything from the guy producer (Jay 'Rocky' Dead) and the girl singer (Elle Meurte) to virtually all aural staples. The group is very derivative, especially when you consider what flourished from the genre in 2008. The Nintendo drive from Crystal Castles' debut can be heard on every song from
Inner City Angst EP, as can Caroline Martial's shouty vocals from Kap Bambino's
Zero Life, Night Vision. The blend is unmistakable, and any doubt is diminished by "Superheroes", the most blatant hybrid of those 2 artists. While you can tell they are a dime-a-dozen act right at the beginning, album opener "Blood Lust" does, in its defense, prove to be more melodic and catchy than its contemporaries. You can also tell they're on to something with "Wizards", though the track sadly goes nowhere and is ultimately a boring album closer.
There's plenty to enjoy if you are a fan of this genre, but odds are if you're already familiar with it anyway you'll probably sigh "been there, done that" by the middle of the album. There really isn't much personality here, and while "Blood Lust" is certainly a decent track, there's little to no thrills to be found. Even if you drool over this stuff day and night,
Inner City Angst won't give you a distinctive new persona to add to your electroclash library. It just isn't as fun or even silly for that matter. You Love Her Coz She's Dead, with their debut, end up being one of those bland artists that blur together their peers from their genre, leaving you longing for much more.
