Test House is the duo of James Elliott (ex-Bear In Heaven, ex-School of Seven Bells) and Peter Schuette (ex-Silk Flowers, ex-Psychobuildings). Together these dance floor seductionists craft intricate and rousing mutant synth-pop gems with an ear for darkly complex corridors and arrangements. Think Depeche Mode curves, tip-toeing (even further) into the ether.
North-side's "Hold Your Form" shimmers with striated synth pulses, pairing tectonic shifts of melody with nuanced subtleties of romance. Like a long lost New Order demo dusted off and transmitted by the ghost of John Peel, the forlorn beauty is as wrought with angst as it is pure joy. This one's sure to get stuck in your head.
South-side's "One Immeasurable Place" carries the scene home, finding solace in the shadows of the after party. Arthur Russell's minimal art-disco provides the palette (both sonic and sentiment), but Test House hones the execution. Phantom sounds form a spotted fog of rhythm and noise as the duo performs their black magic. It's a propulsive meditation, concisely disguised as the best song you've ever heard.
credits
released June 24, 2013
Written, recorded, and mixed by Peter Schuette and James Elliott, New York City, 2012.
Mastered by Helmut Erler at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin.
Limited to 300 copies on transparent purple vinyl, with interchangeable cover art.
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