By Mallory Lapanowski

Contributing Reporter

With The Fashion’s self-titled sophomore album, the Danish quartet will take you on a round-trip through a criminal master plan masked in catchy kick-drum beats and guitar and bass riffs married smoothly with synthesizer blending.

The band is lead by Jakob Printzlau, whose distinctive voice alone boosts The Fashion with something to ring through as distinct and unique; not to mention the occasional cry outs of guitarist Axel Find Axelsen’s backup vocals.  

Beginning with “Dead Boys,” the simplicity of the lyrics throughout the album demonstrates punk influence, but an electric landscape fills in the gap of raw string and skin instrumental.

From the shaker and bass drum in the graveyards of “Dead Boys,” the synthetic undertones haunt with a “smooth criminal” feel through “Solo Impala (Take the Money and Run).” While the title speaks for itself, the synthetic undertones and clapping take smirking mischievousness and runs with it.

Throughout the rest of the album, The Fashion’s not-so-despairing death references of hospital visits, funerals, ambulance rides, vampires and abandonment include lulling piano spotlights, tambourines and echo voice layering. Even some slower, stripped numbers like “Alabaster” and “Apt.” feature bass guitar and a drum foundation with more subdued, tamed vocals.

The wild guitar riffs and off-beat drum layers in “Like Knives” work together to create the awkward chugging mechanical beat much like that of Franz Ferdinand. This blend, even with the references to switch blade knives within the lyrics “grind right into our bones,” makes for an exciting song progression and surprisingly danceable beat.

This album’s release date is May 13 and will eventually be released on vinyl.