LA trio HEALTH visits the Sinclair in Cambridge, MA
What is electronic music missing? Arguably, it’s the thrill of live instrumentation or the irreplaceable in-person bite that makes drums and bass guitar really hit home. Pulsing waves of klaxon-tuned synths storm out over the heavy and unpredictable drums of BJ Miller. There’s not a ton in the way of traditional structure for the EDM crowd, but it calls people to move their bodies nonetheless, albeit in the form of a circle pit, much like the one that forms early in the LA trio HEALTH’s set at the Sinclair in Cambridge, MA.
Under the appetizing sounds, which bristle with a raw and menacing energy, vocalist Jake Duzsik makes good on that sense of foreboding with lyrics that dive head-first into the existential quandaries of living a life that no one asked for. ‘Feel Nothing’, from their 2019 album Vol 4: Slaves of Fear, is perhaps their most raw confrontation of the issue yet.
Check out ‘Feel Nothing’ of the Vol 4: Slaves of Fear album HERE.
“We tried so hard our whole lives, just for us to sleep at night,” Duzsik sings in his oddly calm vocal, an androgynous tone akin to that of Greg Gonzales of Cigarettes After Sex, albeit under more layers of vocal processing. This calm, constant vocal is a stark contrast to the bombast of the music, adding an unnerving chill when Duzsik questions the very point of mortal life.
This is far from the first time the band has dipped its collective toe into that darkness, with ‘Life’ from their previous record, Death Magic, painting a similar picture of a narrator, exhausted and numb, concluding, “Life is strange but it’s all we’ve got”. The band is never completely nihilistic, embracing instead the absurd nature of existence, encouraging people on the closer of that album, ‘Drugs Exist’, to simply try to love people who are similarly lost.
The video for ‘Drugs Exist’ can be seen HERE.
The music is not without its quieter moments, either; having dipped their toes into soundtrack work in 2012 with the video game Max Payne 3. The band had to balance the cinematic action of a shooting game with the more languid pace of its narrative segments and reality-slowing “bullet time” mechanic. That synth score sensibility lives on in tracks like “NC-17“, where Miller’s beats take a backseat to a soundscape that’s not a far cry from Blade Runner on drugs, feral eyes looking out from an ethereal fog, a nervous energy temporarily restrained.
The band is absolutely mad with energy while performing. John Famiglietti’s long hair twists like a thousand tendrils, whipping in circles as he alternates between his bass and a vast array of effect pedals which he controls manually. He uses them as their own instruments rather than a mere augmentation of his guitar.
Miller’s drumming is virtuosic, bringing each and every hit to life with startling effect, his flawless control recalling Mess-era Liars drummer Julian Gross in the relentless fury necessary to bring life into the programmed beats of the studio.
Duzsik often joins Famiglietti center-stage during intense breakdowns, and out in the crowd people throw themselves in and out of the periphery of the pit. Fitting from one place to the next between each pulse of the strobing lights, which add a visual assault to the senses to match the auditory. It’s reminiscent of other noisy bands like Street Sects and opener Youth Code, equally aggressive acts who also employ a chaotic light show to augment their music.
The band’s set is substantial and goes well into the night, ending just before the clock strikes twelve.
They cap a night full of nearly non-stop playing, including all-time greats such as ‘Stonefist’ and ‘Die Slow’, with an encore performance of ‘Innocence’ alongside Youth Code’s Sara Taylor, whose deep growl and screaming vocals form an interesting contrast with Duzsik’s monotone.
The LA trio HEALTH have earned their reputation as sonic polymaths, collaborating not only with Taylor and bandmate Ryan George, but with a diverse array of acts. Including French darkwave pioneer Perturbator, plunderphonic rapper JPEGmafia, and Nashville indie rock upstart Soccer Mommy in an impressive series of singles.
They seem to effortlessly manage to remain unique – there’s no real mistaking a HEALTH song for that of another band – while straddling genre lines with ease. It’s a testament to the staying power of one of LA’s finest, and to the continuing advancement of both electronic and rock music as a whole.
Review and photos by Collin Heroux
