Reviews

Agentss Agentss 12″

A reissue of the two EPs from this São Paulo, Brazil new wave synth group. Folks may be familiar with this band from opening the Não Wave comp of Brazilian post-punk that came out in 2005, which, along with the Sexual Life of the Savages comp, really introduced me to this whole scene (the latter specifically to the amazing AS MERCENÁRIAS). AGENTSS were apparently the first synth band in Brazil, forming after their lead singer/keyboardist Kodiak Bachine visited America and discovered records by, among others, the CURE, GARY NUMAN, and KRAFTWERK, groups whose influence is obvious on the four songs here. The guitars are drenched in chorus and delay, the synth zooms and glides through the soundscape, and the mood is more robotic and nervy than somber or dramatic. Short but landmark, it would make a good deep-cut DJ bin-filler for your goth bar set.