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2020’s DISCO4 :: PARTI was the first instalment of HEALTH’s new age hyper-collaborative series, stirring up excitement with its unbounded features list, ranging from 100 gecs on the maximalist ‘POWER FANTASY’—which deftly combined hyper-pop with shoegaze—to the tongue-in-cheek ‘FULL OF HEALTH’ with grindcore sweethearts Full Of Hell. It marked the beginning of utilising collaboration-as-instrument for HEALTH (previously noise-rock traditionalists), and spurred on the release of their spiky, caustic and more effectual DISCO4 :: PARTII.

DISCO4 :: PARTII attempts to dissect modernity with either a toothpick or a pickaxe, poking inquisitively on the subdued Lil Peep-channelling ‘STILL BREATHING’ whilst swinging wildly and hastily elsewhere on ‘MURDER DEATH KILL’. The latter features hyped Florida rapper PlayThatBoiZay and Black Dresses multi-hyphenate Ada Rook, culminating in an oblique thrash-trap track that mourns the cyclical nature of human existence.

Despite an affinity for abrasive textures and scuzzy nu-metal throbs on this record, the album embraces decadent (if a little melancholy) pop hooks in the coda of ‘ISN’T EVERYONE’ and the opening minutes of the sprawling ‘AD 1000', adding broader appeal to HEALTH’s often unbroken intensity.

'COLD BLOOD' is by all means a Lamb Of God track, scattered with the occasional dull hammer hit married with heady slow-gaze verse melodies that HEALTH use throughout the record to create continuity between each unique collaborators’ track. Far and away the most intriguing and groundbreaking track is ‘GNOSTIC FLESH/MORTAL HELL’ which sees Zambian-Canadian’ anti-rapper Backxwash spit vitriolic bars concerning imminent self-destruction and the vapidity of mortality. The industrial synth thrums pair vibrantly with her baritone bars, forming a rhythmic feast.

In DISCO4 :: PARTII, HEALTH position themselves at the vanguard of their career. From innovating noise-rock specialists to their new position as revolutionary tastemakers, their choice to embrace genre-less collaborative projects with a consortium of oddball artists could have resulted in a miasmic melange of noise, but instead, it fabricates something far greater than the sum of its parts. Their ability to balance bellicose clamour with progressive musicality is unmatched, and DISCO4 :: PARTII paves the way for fledgling artists to embrace and utilise the talents of their peers to broaden their sonic palette, and seek innovation at every turn.

DISCO4 :: PARTII is out now.

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More about: Health