‘The Power Of A Curse’ is many things all wrapped in one. The lustrous four piece record is resplendent with style and emotion throughout its fleeting runtime. It’s an intoxicating record that combines shimmering synths with glistening guitar work to craft magically addictive melodies throughout. What drew me into Sex Habits work was there ability to so seamlessly synthesize two seemingly disparate styles that have a lot more in common than most have observed. ‘The Power Of A Curse’ takes the hyperactive and almost scintillating energy of electro-pop but present it with melodies and emotion of an angsty emo rock record.
The duo, comprised of Nivedhan Singh on Vocals and Doug Zogby on guitar and synths are a match made in heaven. Nivedhan’s vocals are pitch perfect for an emo rock outfit, but there’s something so distinctive about them when they’re layered over Zogby’s intricately produced hyper-pop and rock confluence. There are clear influences you can pick apart on this record, with the most notable ones for me coming in the form of The 1975 and Yungblud. The more spacey atmospheric and experimental production style definitely reckons the former while the angsty and keenly emotive vocal performance is reminiscent of the latter.
The lyrics of the record tell the fictitious story of ‘Doug’, a young time-traveller navigating the cosmos with a broken machine and an AI companion alongside him. Indeed, the production matches this other worldly and imaginative concept. Space rock, punk rock, hyper pop, all in one.
Undoubtedly, ‘The Power Of A Curse’ has been an absolute revelation of a record for me. Back to front, this four song EP doesn’t disappoint for a single moment. On my first listen, ‘When Dougs Cry’ was the standout track for its immaculately conceived story of not being enough and feeling stuck. Then DYMWMB, the more traditional emo rock influenced piece that details a breakup became the addiction. Now, the album’s closer ‘Wolf 359’ is my go to piece. It’s the most surreal, the most ambitious, and the most euphoric of the lot. Definitely, check this record out.
A special one, without a doubt.