autobahn

AUTOBAHN may have re-emerged with many of the hallmarks of their characteristic blend of industrial post-punk intact, but under the bonnet they’re a much leaner, more focused machine.

Live drums have given way to drum-machines and sample-based percussion, and with it see the band reconfigure their typically blackened aesthetic into a hardened take on Electronic Body Music. As with their previous record, it’s an entirely self-produced collection, recorded between two self-built studios on a range of analogue equipment, the ghosts of their industrial forefathers haunting the circuits. Indeed, some of Ecstasy of Ruin was made with pieces salvaged from Martin Hannett’s legendary studio. The mark of their presence is clear and AUTOBAHN certainly feel part of the long tradition of crepuscular music to emanate from Northern Britain, be that the transgressive activities of COUM Transmissions from Hull, Sheffield Steel City or the gothic history of their very own hometown. It’s a noble torch they carry. “A clear understanding of the dynamics of gothy industrial foreboding. Great” - MOJO (⅘) “An expanded, widescreen sound [...] showcasing Craig Johnson’s amazing vocal talents and range” - Louder than War (8/10) “The Moral Crossing is as punchy as it comes, mixing electronica with post-punk but with cavernous propulsion and intensity” - Uncut (7/10) “‘Future’ is all motoric beats, fuzzed-out vocals, swirling synths and gritty riffs, nestling up against each other in a dazzling package” – DIY