The second album from Me the Tiger, the Swedish trio, has finally hit the shelves. Vitriolic (Repo) builds on the template established by their first, eponymous album: energetic sequencers, power chords, driving rhythms and soaring vocals, all swirled together like a Ben & Jerry’s special edition. The confection begins with “As We Really Are,” a driving belter with dystopian lyrics. Vitriolic would manage to get onto year-end highlight lists based on this track alone, but each scoop reveals new depths of flavour.
The obvious reference points for tracks like “My Heroine” or the current single, “What Promises Are Worth” are Crystal Castles without the lunacy or The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but other influences in the mix range from DAF in the sequences to New Order at their most unrestrained. Gabriella Åström’s vocals were a revelation at Gothenburg’s recent Electronic Summer festival, and the slower tracks on the album, “Dreams” and “Control, give us to a chance to hear them at a different pace. The instrumental elements, driven by Jonas Martinsson’s drums and songwriter Tobias Andersson’s synth and guitar lines, are taut, fierce and compelling throughout.