Notic Nastic

New York/Berlin group Notic Nastic (known for their stage shows, where the duo sport neon masks and accompany their twisted breaks and vocals with matching dance contortions) bring their electro-punk sensibilities and thump and crunch beats to a musical tale of a girl that's less a coming-of-age than a "collage of life." In It's Dark But It's OK, Notic Nastic mine both the electroclash movement and early acid house, with their catchy refrains jumping in and out of freeform electro and a start-stop groove that's both hard and freaky. The girl to woman vocals ― sometimes distorted ("Secret Life") or injected with helium ("Swifty") ― lighten up and add a bit of humanity to all the gnarly beats and synth. Birthing a seedy kind of electro-pop from all the dirty, broken techno with lyrics, by the album's midway point the glitch really hits the fan on "Kids On Kitten," and you're either engrossed in the story's edgy energy, just along for the experiment or have already hit eject.