Traversing seamlessly from jangly late-night intrigue to ardent rock pulses, “Uncanny Valley” is the memorable new single from Kisu Min. The band — which formed in Łódź, Poland at the end of 2016 — stir with an invigorating, stylish sound that melds dreamy introspection with brisker pulses of rock-forward catchiness. Their 2023 album City of the Revolution drew praise for its quality songwriting and production, and now the forthcoming full-length Rudolf Steiner House releases on September 29th. “Uncanny Valley” is amongst the album’s 13 tracks.
The album title derives from the band’s respect for Rudolf Steiner, the originator of Waldorf pedagogy. Kisu Min visited London’s Rudolf Steiner House, as well, and the album cover showcases as such. The band explains about Steiner’s influence on the album: “We feel that Waldorf pedagogy, and the wisdom obtained from it in terms of educating future generations, is a guarantee for the preservation of our humanity in these extremely uncertain times.”
“Uncanny Valley” kicks into gear with panting rhythms and excitable guitar lines, bolstered by a sporadic, more subdued twanging. The vocals emerge as the rhythm section attains prominent clarity, strutting a post-punk nostalgia in the bustling bass tone and smooth implementation of moody guitars. The lyrics use the “uncanny valley” as a metaphor for alienation in an age where what looks human is hollow at its core. Lines like “Hey you! / It’s me / The same / But not breathe” evoke the unsettling sense of encountering a distorted reflection of ourselves. Paying particular inspiration to John Carpenter’s film They Live, the band depicts the uncanny valley feeling with artful allure.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
