“The Age of Fracture” by Cymbals

Cymbals
The Age of Fracture
[Tough Love]

One thing that is somewhat forgotten in the electro-pop genre by a lot of groups is the ability to write a hook. This is a reason why 80’s New Wave bands were so successful and abundant, they knew how to grab the listeners attention. The London quartet Cymbals not only excels at this but dominates the sound-scape on their sophomore album, The Age of Fracture.

Drawing from influences ranging from Factory Records bands like The Happy Mondays and Joy Division, to contemporaries Royksopp and Hot Chip, to 80’s New Wave outfits, Cymbals manages to carve a notch out as one of the elite bands of the synth-pop/electro-pop genre

Whether it be an insanely catchy synth lead (“Winter 98′”) a sweet guitar hook (“Erosion”), or an alluring vocal line (“You Are”), Cymbals manages to captivate a listeners attention for the full length of the album. It does get a little cluttered in some areas like “5%”, but overall The Age of Fracture has an abundance of pop principles that helps them stand head and shoulders above their contemporaries.