Collaboration is the bedrock of music. Through collaboration, music can be propelled to new heights—creating moments that are as exciting as they are spectacular. It has also been central to the enduring success of electronic music for years. Even the most singular talents have taken the time to collaborate with artists both within and outside their musical sphere, broadening their horizons and chipping away at any conscious or subconscious boundaries. Mixing those shared musical experiences can produce something magical, something fresh and wholly unexpected. That’s the approach British electronic artist Daniel Avery has taken on his latest album, Tremor.
After pushing himself to a creative high on the previous record, Ultra-Truth, Avery felt the need to return to the idea of collaboration—the need to be with other musicians and create. The result is Tremor, an album like no Avery work before it. Inspired by everything from director David Fincher to the abstract work of painter Mark Rothko, it’s an album pulled from the darkness. Nonetheless, what sets it apart, though, is the collaborative element as Avery brings together a whole raft of collaborators to guide the listener through the shadows.
Slow-burning opener “Neon Pulse” possesses that soothing, hypnotic quality that characterises much of Avery’s best work, with its elegant, lilting synths that caress the ear. However, considering what follows, it feels more like a mischievous ruse. An aural sleight of hand that draws the listener into an archetypal Daniel Avery LP, when what follows is anything but.
First single, “Rapture in Blue”, is slightly puzzling at first. Featuring his signature icy synths woven between stretched-out breakbeats, it takes time to embed itself. Yet, over time, Cecile Believe’s dreamy vocals sink into the subconscious with every listen, revealing hidden depths. Then things get weird.
The arresting, industrial thud of “Haze” hits like a hammer to the chest. Spliced from the same DNA as one of Avery’s heroes, Nine Inch Nails, he marries ominous, juddering rhythm with more delicate flurries of keys. The song sees Wolf Alice frontwoman Ellie Rowsell take on the role of a rock goddess as it mutates into a super-sleek, electro-rock monolith.
Seguing seamlessly into the mean and brooding “A Silent Shadow”, it’s clear this is not a typical Avery album. Helped by British band Bdrmm, who carry on from where they left off on their trancey recent album Microtonic, it sounds absolutely enormous. Bdrmm’s driving, sonic pulse wonderfully complements Avery’s textured electronics. It’s a powerful and thrilling ride as the two co-pilot the song to somewhere fresh and exciting.
The beautifully effortless-sounding “New Life” finds Yune Pinku’s airy vocals backed by swishing synths and acid breakbeats. It demonstrates a pop sensibility that Avery has grown into over time, revealing an emotive centre that holds you in its thrall.
In a pretty crowded field, “Greasy at the Racing Line” could be the most flat-out insane track on here. Framed by echoing, trap beats, the Kills‘ Allison Mosshart emerges from the darkness in her own effortlessly cool way, before rather shockingly going full death-metal troll. Her creepy, snarling vocals lead the song into an industrial metal whirlwind full of distorted guitars and razor-wire synths. It’s a wonderfully shocking curveball that further demonstrates how Avery’s collaborators are prepared to yank themselves free and clear of their comfort zones.
“Until the Moon Starts Shaking” resets the mood with its soft, rippling synths and breezy electronics before juddering to a stop. “The Ghost of her Smile” is the track that most sounds like a live band playing in a room together. Featuring delicate vocals from Newdad’s Julie Dawson, it sounds so brittle it feels as if it may shatter at any moment. It’s that human element that elevates the song as it gradually gains momentum before the vocals collide into a euphoric, electronic collage.
The nightmarish “Disturb Me” blends ominous electro rhythms and nursery rhyme vocals from Singaporean singer yeule. It’s a haunting and foreboding piece that sees Avery fully embrace the darkness, like watching a sunny sky suddenly blackened with rain clouds. “In Keeping (Soon We’ll be Dust)” sees the appearance of hardcore royalty in the form of Quicksand and Rival Schools frontman Walter Schreifels. His floaty vocals drift in and out of Avery’s textured electronics and shoegazey guitars, delivering lines such as “It’s only raining in your mind” that resonate more and more with each subsequent listen.
The title song, “Tremor”, is textbook Daniel Avery. It encapsulates all his sonic playfulness mixed with his innate understanding of how to build a tempo before dialling it back for maximum effect. The spectral gothic pop closer, “I Feel You”, epitomizes everything great about the album. Blotchy beats, warping synths, and otherworldly vocals from Art School Girlfriend merge seamlessly into a song that gently wraps its arms around the soul. It’s a stunning conclusion that stands as a testimony to Avery’s abilities as a songwriter.
Tremor feels like the start of a brand new chapter for Daniel Avery. While he paints with a lot of familiar colors, there are also many new shades. Ambient swells, rubbing against cacophonous guitars, whispering synth runs are beaten down by pummeling live drums. The album showcases the dynamic songwriter he has become. As comfortable writing a song that builds to a catchy chorus as he is, he is toying with tension and riding a wave of ambience before crashing into a wall of sonic chaos. Clearly, collaboration has brought out the best in him.