DullHaus release a video for their cathartic new single, Control. Our Andy Brown is excited to introduce Louder Than War readers to the underground synth-pop/ post-punk duo from the City Of Angels.
Brothers James and Quinn Clearwater formed DullHaus in 2018. The Los Angeles-based duo create beautifully layered synth-pop with lashings of post-punk, goth and industrial influences. I discovered them by chance and was soon listening to Love Is Violence, their 2019 debut album. A rather brilliant hidden-gem full of darkly irresistible synth-pop hooks. “You taste like lipstick in the rain” they swooned on the addictive goth-pop melodrama of Delirium. Robert Smith would be proud. That was me hooked right there and then.
The origins of the duos new single can be traced back to October 2020. America was in the grip of an utterly insane Trump presidency and the Clearwater brothers felt like they were watching their country, “descend into fascism”. The country (and the world) at the mercy of a seemingly never-ending pandemic. It seemed like everything was spinning out of control. It was this dire situation that inspired them to record their latest single, Control.
It’s the wall of throbbing, cinematic synths that hit you first: a wave of electronic foreboding and dark, nocturnal beauty. “Dilate the edge of the world/ There’s nowhere to run” comes the initial warning before the realisation hits, “We’ve lost control/ They’ve got all the guns”. A fevered state of worry and restless catharsis all put to an absolutely stunning slice of synth-pop grandeur.
To fully elevate the release to classic single status they back it up with B-side, Tension. A synth-pop/ EBM tune that sounds like The Cure and Depeche Mode having a full-on rave in a car park. Both tracks brilliantly capture the cycle of anxiety, tension and release. Both also happen to be highly addictive synth-pop bangers!
You can find DullHaus on Facebook and Instagram.
Photos and video by Santiago Charboneau.
Buy Control on Bandcamp.
All words by Andy Brown. You can visit his author profile and read more of his reviews for Louder Than War here.
