Over '80s squelches, Goa-influenced vocals, and
Berlin-like beats, this female-fronted Portuguese group tries to meld Anglo-centric dance mechanics to the backbone of chart accessibility. Good thing that it's just unfamiliar enough to work. "Punch'in" rumbles to a stifling, hip-hop saunter, "Scubber" sounds like a
Chemical Brothers record slowed down to 5 rpm, and lead-off "Contratempo" begins with scratching trip-hop before it somehow charges into some unique strain of U.K. garage (really). The strongest marking is certainly
Coldfinger's lead singer, who can go from a
Beth Gibbons susurration to
Shirley Bassey leaps in the very same chorus. While information is hard to come by for this group, curiosity is definitely piqued. ~ Dean Carlson