Less Win – TRUST

Less Win are an experimental post punk band from Copenhagen, Denmark. They were originally comprised of Casper Morilla, guitar and vocals, and Patrick Kociszewski, bass and vocals, they released a string of EP’s and splits prior to the release of their debut album, Great. Matthew Moller has replaced the drum machine that provided the beat on their early releases, and he appears to have allowed them to express a greater degree of freedom and improvisation. You can hear the ghost of post punk bands all over this sophomore release but they have added their own personality to the compositions, as a result they have produced a stark, foreboding and unpredictable album.

The experimentalism that was such a hallmark of the original post punk movement is present throughout the album. Solid bass and sparse guitars pepper the songs, whilst the understated drums and the use of discordant saxophone add a haunting touch to the proceedings. The production on TRUST suits the material perfectly, it has an has an atmospheric sound that borders on being claustrophobic at times, this is an album that is shorn of any embellishments and is cut to the bone. Less Win have kept true to the sensibilities of the first wave of post punk bands, even at their most accessible, on the track Where You Lay Your Hands with it’s driven bass line, they retain a spiky and abrasive quality that can be deeply unsettling.

This is a challenging and at time disconcerting album, the songs go off at unexpected tangents and keep you constantly guessing. This is not a feel good album in any way shape or form, but in the early hours of the morning the dark abrasive compositions will come into their own. This is probably the least commercial thing I’ve heard in a long time, it is dark, sparse and at times disturbing, and I can’t help loving them for it

TRUST is due for release via The Big Oil Recording Company on June 24th 2016 and can be ordered here