Editors - EBM [ORANGE]

23.9.22 - ORANGE VINYL LP X 2 + ETCHING ON SIDE D (PIASR1280LPD)

Making EBM was "a lifeline" during the pandemic, says Elliott, "something to totally get lost in." Indeed, they've created a world brimming with drama and intensity, which is exhilarating after the past few years of collective listlessness. "The songs feel like an escape," nods Tom. The album title is an acronym of Editors and Blanck Mass but also a knowing reference to Electronic Body Music, the potent sound that originated in the 1980s and which has hugely influenced Editors' new material, where the synths of bands like Nitzer Ebb, Front 242 , DAF and Skinny Puppy hammer darkly. Think smoke machines, strobe lights and the smell of leather. The band has taken those influences in a distinctly Editors direction: see the soaring falsetto of standout Kiss, their disco-infused "crying on the dancefloor" banger, says Tom, which Benjamin adds "could almost be a Donna Summer song" if it wasn't so heavy. Or the punchy chorus of Karma Climb, a stomping single that pairs ghostly atmospherics with stadium-level anthemia. On Vibe, which is the closest thing to what you could call a 'feelgood' Editors track, Tom wanted to put a "summertime sheen" on "a song for disconnected youth." It's Editors at their most super goth, sure - but also their most pop.