Album Review: Factory Floor - 25 25

If there is one singular takeaway from 25 25, it's this: Factory Floor are done introducing themselves. A lot of young bands feel immense pressure coming into their first full-length record, and there's no doubt that the duo of Gabe Gurnsey and Nik Colk Void (then also joined by Dominic Butler) felt this in full. After all, this was the band that was taking industrial back to the core. This was the band that stalked Stephen Morris of New Order to work with him, and who got Chris Carter of Throbbing Gristle to produce early singles. With brilliant, fiery singles like "Fall Back" and "Two Different Ways", it's easy to see where Factory Floor may have felt a push in the wrong direction. After all, we wouldn't have "Blue Monday" without "Everything's Gone Green" and "Hurt", would we? The band's unshakable love for such specific influences perhaps put too much pressure on them to create something of a response, when in reality, Factory Floor want to do exactly what their heroes did: mess around with electronics no one understands and create something abstract that no one can pin to a wall. Thankfully, the band know themselves better than critics do, and with their sophomore album, 25 25, they barrel into the unknown with a four-to-the-floor foundation that no one is going to shake. 25 25 follows the band's eponymous debut with eight tracks of minimal, modular meddling with cause for movement. It's a sometimes-difficult record that rewards the listener with repeat visits, focused listening, and a deep appreciation for the masters. Hot on the heels of all that's come before, it's evident that Factory Floor are truly the rightful heirs to the kingdoms of their heroes.

In the time between Factory Floor and now, Dominic Butler left Factor Floor to continue work with Bronze Teeth and Green Gums, while Nik and Gabe stayed busy with their own projects. Nik dropped another record with Chris and Cosey of Throbbing Gristle fame as Carter Tutti Void, while Gabe dropped the impeccable 12" release "Falling Phase". Given that they have plenty to do otherwise, the two obviously wanted to make something unique of Factory Floor's second outing. They promised that this second effort would be even more minimal, which was, at first, a little hard to conceptualize, given songs like Factory Floor opener "Turn It Up" where five minutes of only drums are followed by the single pang of a synth burst with Nik's drawling vocals melting over top. But they weren't messing around! There are moments on 25 25 that will challenge even the most focused ear to find the evolution in each of these (to borrow the term from David Lynch) moving paintings. The title track, in particular, finds new horizons of the abstract, as Nik's vocals are even held back in the second half of the song as a single modular synth adds variety to an otherwise concrete backdrop.

What the listener may not be aware of upon first listen is that the context of Factory Floor's repetitions has changed somewhat. First off, with the slimming of the band's setup, Gabe's potential as a live drummer has also slimmed. This new record removes live drums, replacing them with endless drum machines, those kind that you can picture from the 80s with a thousand knobs on the face pounding out a nine minute burner with a careful attendant twisting knobs up and down the whole time for perfect cadence. Furthermore, 25 25 is the band's first venture into true modular synthesis. Much of Factory Floor's first album could be described as modular music according to the David Byrne definition, but it was done all without the precocious art of patching a synth to death. While a lot of this type of electronics may look like chaotic wizardry to the untrained eye, it's this type of freedom that has given Factory Floor new territory to explore with less manpower. This being the case, it's no surprise that modular synthesis is the subject of the band's great video for "Ya". It's these small changeovers that make this infectious single so addictive. While the air of mystery still remains, Factory Floor somehow maintain their same carnal approach while delving further into the electronic fray.

Where the first half of the record slowly and deliberately welcomes you into the band's modular next chapter, the second half rewards the listener with four unbeatable cuts that the Factory Floor of 2013 could have never made. "Dial Me In" is something of a spiritual sequel to "Fall Back". Much of the build and Nik's vocals mimic the first album's brilliant single. But man cannot live on bread alone, and thus, it's deeper into the details where you find the reward this time around. The explosive build comes slowly, but at its apex, it might even overpower its predecessor's majestic pinnacle. It's an exercise in anticipation, one where the listener rides the edge of a cliff for the thrill of the height, and not the concept of the fall. Once, "Dial Me In" has faded, "Wave" gives us the album's longest number with nothing but one scorching patch after another. In some ways, "Wave" welcomes in another slew of influences, taking their late 70s/early 80s roots into later decades (the track might remind listeners of organic early Daft Punk screamers like "Rollin' & Scratchin'"). And then, once again, patience and careful listening are rewarded, as the album's most explosive single still awaits. "Ya", in its album form of a full seven minutes, flies by in a seductive flurry of sound. The hook that Nik and Gabe play around with here will put a stupid smile on your face within seconds, but its true impact comes like a thesis statement driven home in a harrowing conclusion.

All of the patient, minimal technique they've showcased up until this point on 25 25 is put on dazzling display in a very "look what we can do" type of way. It reminds me a lot of records like Movement and Power, Corruption, & Lies, in that the methodical electronic wanderings of deep album cuts only feed the narrative of the singles. It makes them more special without any words or explanation. No one has ever accused Factory Floor of slacking on homework, but here, with the placement of "Ya" on a record with such impeccable shape, it's evident that Nik Colk Void and Gabe Gurnsey are not stumbling their way through their art. Rather, every step forward is a careful, well-placed footing. And as closer "Upper Left" takes the tempo to half time and rides it out into the sunset, we can only scratch our heads and wonder at what mountain they'll choose to conquer next. Against the backdrop of a gluttonous EDM culture, it's not exactly the most ravishing or lucrative work you can do in electronic music in 2016, but it's work that will stand the test of time and will be lauded for knowing its place in history. Whatever Factory Floor do next, it will be done right. For now, I'll be hoping for "Ya" at every club outing I go to.

25 25 is out now on DFA Records. Grab it at your local record store on CD or vinyl. Factory Floor have not announced any supporting tour dates yet, but check their Facebook for more updates.