Zarkoff – Testosteronia [Soil Records]

Soil Records continues with its particular development working in parallel on two lines. One is its expansion as a project with a release rhythm that has moved from constancy to speed, with weekly releases this April. And the other point that it has reinforced is its international exhibition with publications that combine established names with other artists with lesser background but with an excellent projection, thus managing to build an extraordinary showcase in the form of a catalogue that faithfully shows how the industrial scene is currently developing throughout this world.

Europe, together with the American continent, are the great focus of post-punk action. Each artist’s interpretation is free and, as in the past, no longer depends on the cultural movement of a particular area, but rather on the innovation of the author himself, his musical inclination and his inventiveness in developing an indigenous sound.

These creative values are found in Zarkoff‘s new work. The Croatian artist signs an EP with four tracks that astonish by their composition and their mixture of influences. Testosteronia opens with the track of the same name, a work that puzzles precisely because it combines genres such as coldwave with elements, riffs and rhythms more typical of big beat. With Getting Away, Zarkoff adopts a more organic model with a percussion and bass line without aggressive treatments, to which we must add the clarity of the voice.  

Hypnos is the track that opens the B side, and as its name indicates hypnotism is the attribute that best describes it. A constant rhythm that remains in the background accompanies acidic melodies that divide their harmony between pads and arpeggios. Out of control is the opposite pole of Hypnos, placidity gives way to aggressiveness. This last cut of the EP is the most provocative of the four, its rhythmic elements are more forceful, its voice, like the bass line, is heartbreaking.

Release date: April 29th, 2020.