New Black

Just when you were starting to sense a lull on the dance floor, Chicago’s New Black return with their sophomore release to keep that post-punk party going. These 11 cacophonic, keyboard-driven dance tracks are part nihilist no wave art and new wave throwback — elements that New Black wear very well. Recorded at Pachyderm Studios, where Nirvana’s In Utero was recorded, and produced by Greg Norman (Guided By Voices, Mclusky), the album is a go right from the start. But while many of their post-punk peers tend to sound like they’re stuck on repeat after a few songs, New Black work within their sound to find new dynamics. The epic "Devil in my Car” carries a haunting, almost creepy style, making it one of the more provocative songs here. "Red Bandit,” alternately, is seeped in clawing-at-the-walls freneticism with its intensely rabid, beating rhythms. With duelling male/female vocals and desperately fast and frantic spasms, Time Attack is an album that can stand its ground on and off the dance floor.