I’ve had Fat Hamster and KANG NEW‘s full length on my list for a while. But I burnt out on electronic music and needed to take a break. Bizarrely, Brains in a Vat came back on my radar because I was listening to Primus again. The funk, rock, and blues mixture that Primus creates connects with the electronic funk of this duo. They manipulate tones, rhythms, and emotions on every track.
That connection happened instantly on “A Gentleman’s Agreement.” The song, while inside the electronic genre, fuses repeating phrases, alternating rhythms, and a strange yet addictive melody. It’s the same thing that makes Primus addictive. The exploration of genres and adding different ideas to make something wholly new.
Following “A Gentleman’s Agreement,” “Micro-Macro” goes a little industrial with a mechanical overtone mixed with pop. It feels burdensome, but I think that’s the point. And one of Fat Hamster and KANG New’s strengths is composition variety. The duo lives in a specific place within electronic music, but they also take and implement a lot of different ideas. These foundations and pieces have solidified their audio signature.
And there’s a good balance between the pair’s individual styles. I do think that “Blackjack” leans into KANG New’s world more, but it also gives the album a nice break from the three previous tracks. “Red” sounds like they’re moving into KIRARA‘s audio world with the stark electronic pulses and multiple layers of samples.
“Bad Clouds” sounds like something from a video game and provides the high energy that’s muted through the instrumentals. Then on “The Sun from Mars,” I get a sense that Fat Hamster and KANG New are visiting LudiSTELO. The final song on Brains in a Vat has some 80KIDZ vibes.
There is an impressive set of songs here. Fat Hamster and KANG New can present a full conversation through music. Nothing feels lacking, and none of the songs gets repetitive. The narrative they present comes through clearly, and the 28 minutes and 33 seconds of music is the perfect listen to get your energy up.
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Written by Chris P for Korean Indie.