Monoton Tid Den Monotona Tiden / Statisk 7″
Effortlessly cool Swedish minimal wave/electro-punk, clearly having spent a considerable amount of time studying the encyclopedia volume that spans CABARET VOLTAIRE to CRASH COURSE IN SCIENCE. This is music completely befitting a band whose name translates to “monotonous time,” and to be clear, that’s not meant as a slight in any sense—austerity, repetition, single-minded focus of vision, they’ve nailed it all in about four-and-a-half minutes total here. Three synths (everyone in MONOTON TID plays one) enmesh over absolutely nasty pulsating bass lines and an anxious drum machine tick straight out of a Subterranean Records lucid dream, as Emilia’s vocals are delivered with the matter-of-fact detachment of a speaking clock service (and on the B-side “Statisk,” doubled-up with equal nonchalance from bassist Vince). The fact that this 7” came out eight months ago and only just now fell into my hands is tragic, because this would have landed an easy best-of-2025 nod from me.