August: 7 electro releases you need to hear this month

MSTRKRFT 'Operator' (Last Gang)

It’s been a long time coming, hasn’t it? The last time we heard music from MSTRKRFT was almost five years ago and their last album ‘Fist Of God’ was dropped back in 2009. Far too long in our opinion, and we think Jesse Keeler and Al-P must have heard the cries for more because their third album is about to pop any time now. ‘Operator’ finds the duo’s electro just as jagged and razor-sharp as before; if anything, it comes back with a fiercer edge. The album feels more raw and acidic, with opening track ‘Wrong Glass Sir’ making no apologies for how brutal it is. ‘Runaway’ is just as mind-bending, but comes packed with vocals that soften the blow slightly. After four tracks of fast-paced hellfire, ‘Playing With Itself’ slows everything down with a fantastically trippy interlude, but ‘Party Line’ brings back the demonic static. There really is no respite this time round: after a five year absence, MSTRKRFT have returned with something outrageously harsh and rebellious. It’s a great album – just not a very ‘pleasant’ one.

8/10