In a world where the English language has become the global lingua franca we have a habit of overlooking music from outside the Anglosphere. That’s something we do at our peril because the world currently has several musical hotspots, and no more so than Paris. Case in point being TH/S /S SH/T, an electro-rock outfit who’ve been fusing disparate genres to create one hell of an explosive sound. A creative curve that began with two EP’s (titled / and //) was concluded by a 2020 album (///) and feeling that the combo had concluded a musical journey and as such, their latest long player /\\/ (pronounced Lambdu V) finds them returning to their original vision, being perhaps the ultimate distillation of their modus operandi.
As a metalhead of a certain age I can remember when electronica was considered spawn of the devil (and, I dare say, vice versa), but then artists like Godflesh and Fear Factory showed us that keys could add texture and an added layer of heaviness. However, whilst those artists and their ilk managed to fuse these different genres, no one actually walked a line straight down the middle, not until the arrival of TH/S /S SH/T. If you need proof look no further than the first track on /\\/ the sublime ‘Nexus’. Propelled forth by a muscular beat, the track is adorned with ornate styling and has an opulent, baroque feel. In short, it’s powerful enough to appeal to rock fans but has a groove that’s guaranteed to fill any dance floor. One reason for the schism between rock and electro was the latter’s surgical, clinical quality, but remove the keys from ‘Nexus’ and you’ll find a groove that swings (the kind of beat Bill Ward or Phil Rudd would deliver), whilst the likes of ‘Frenzy (Transition 2.1) are very pogo-inducing and attack your solar plexus in the way that only good rock music can.
TH/S /S SH/T’s music is largely instrumental and that has the added benefit of creating a very evocative experience. Without a vocalist to guide and suggest themes, it allows room for the listener in infer their own meaning, ensuring songs such as ‘Khat’ become three-dimensional beings that’ll fill your head with all sorts of acidic visions. However, the band are not adverse to employing a singer and Johnny Longlegs makes an appearance on ‘Moloko Plus’, turning it into the type of song you’d expect to hear on a visit to the Korova Milk Bar.
Pulling all the album’s various strands into a cohesive whole, ‘Suvorexant’ brings things to a groove-laden conclusion, delivering a track to which it is possible to dance and mosh (preferably at the same time) and in doing so TH/S /S SH/T have produced a perfect crossover album.
- /\\/ is released on 30th October 2026.
Track List:
- Nexus
- Ascent
- Blue Nine
- Frenzy (Transition 2.1)
- Khat
- Tension (Transition 2.2)
- Moloko Plus
- Intensity (Transition 2.3)
- Ya Ba
- Trance (Transition 2.4)
- Suvorexant
