Sparrow: The ’90s Industrial Revival Has Arrived!

I’ve been saying it for months already: the ’90s industrial revival is coming. The resurgence in goth culture, the rise of darkwave and synthwave, the ever-cycling treadmill of fashion trends… it all dovetails perfectly with the fact that the nostalgia beasts have somehow not yet mined the over-the-top aesthetic (both musical and visual) of industrial metal.

Shit, it’s already happening: with bands like Hogwasche bubbling up in Brooklyn, 3Teeth making noise internationally and this latest video from Sparrow, which just hit my inbox, the techno-apocalypse is nigh. Sparrow’s “Red” hits all the checkboxes: the frenetic electronic backbeat, the Trent Reznor mumble/SCREAM dichotomy, insane amounts of distortion and compression on every instrument, the glitchy CG video effects, doom n’ gloom lyrics with a touch of camp (“We’re SICK! SICK! SICK! and we’re ready to DIE!!!”)… what year is it??

This isn’t your father’s (errr… your childhood’s) industrial, though: as with any resurgence, it’s been updated for modern times. It’s heavier, for one. The vocals are more aggressive. The production is bigger. The band’s look is a bit too nu-metally for my tastes (needs more BLACK LEATHER and COMBAT BOOTS and CHAINS!). But this is basically it. And, most importantly, the song is catchy as fuck!

Check out Sparrow’s new video for “Red” below. It comes from the Digital People EP, out April 6th.