Polar for The Masses are an alternative electro-infused rock band from Italy, whose dark wave of multi-layered riffs are customised by a subtle undertow of browbeat synths. With Simon P on vocals/guitar, Davide Dalla Pria on bass/vocals and Jordan Brea on drums, Polar for the Masses excel at producing songs which stomp with a post-punk rebellion, whilst sneaking into a shoegazing haze.
Having previously released 2 albums under the independent label Black Nutria, Polar for The Masses continue to craft their edgy, post modernist rock with their album “Silence”. Released in June 2011, what’s great about “Silence” is the way the idiosyncratic and mutable vocals embodies the mood and sentiments of the songs. Along with its interchangeable and textured riffs, “Silence” dark intensity is also leaked from the stabbing drums and prominent bass. It’s a slinky album, whose dark tones are amplified through a backdrop of muffled dialogue and digital inserts. It’s an album which leaps on the electro threshold, whilst taking an excursion down the noise-punk, experimental route.
Opening with the penetrative and sleek “Dismembered”, Polar for the Masses effortlessly gel an array of tight-looped riffs in and out of the stabbing and shuffling beats. With its elongated and dipping vocals, “Dismembered” intensity is loosened and wistfully glides against the undertow of menacing bass and angular riffs.
“Guilty” is one of Silence’s more upbeat, multi-textured songs, whose fuzzy, shoegazing, riffs amalgamate as a single entity that broods against the wide-berth drum interludes. It’s a song which also builds towards a crescendo of drones, that slither towards the blackened vortex.
“Ignorance” is a more oblique number, whose crunchy and up-tempo guitars play in juxtaposition against the lethargic bass. With its ghost train and wayward riffs, “Ignorance” quivers with an air of trepidation that halts against the catchy, bold lyrics. With direct lyrics such as “Life is not what you control, life is not what you know…”, “Ignorance” is one of Silence’s more contrary songs, alternating between the staggered, descending and tangled riffs.
“The Last Man” is perhaps Silence’s signature track, which really illustrates the cross-breed of genres, edging Polar for the Masses towards the art-rock arena. With its brooding bass and Bowie-esque crunchy riffs, “The Last Man” really stands its experimental ground , whilst remaining loyal to traditional post-punk. It’s also a song which skilfully synchronises the idiosyncratic vocals with the crunchy riffs and drums. With fragments of The Arctic Monkeys during a dual vocal interlude, “The Last Man” steps up a notch, reminding us that the Polar for the Masses are very much a contemporary, new wave band.
Again, with “Sailing Away”, Polar for the Masses illustrate their skill at producing dark and theatrical songs. Despite the grugey intro, “Sailing Away” soon morphs into a dark wave catharsis, in particular with its menacing and dual vocals. Along with its layer of quivering riffs and spinning drums, “Sailing Away” intensity is heightened through the meshed up riffs, that drone and reverberate towards the eerie, sonically infused out-tro.
“UTW” is characterised by the stabbing drums and droning bass which antagonise against the rolling riffs. With its tortured tones, “UTW” again illustrates The Polar for the Masses’s skill at creating atmospheric songs. With its subtle, intricate digital synths and The Horrors-esque shrieks, “UTW” pulsates with a perilous pulse. It’s a song which is weighted with tension, intensifies through the interlude of abandoned vocals and fuzzy white noise.
“Consequences” is perhaps the album’s most abstract song. With its “insect-pecking” synths intro and prominent bass, “Consequences” is a master of cutting-edge effects that rattle and distort in contrast against the nonchalant vocals. It’s a mazy presentation, whose flutter of post-punk and droning riffs mutate in and out of the shoegazing fog.