Orbital – Monsters Exist

Nothing game-changing

The newest effort from Orbital, Monsters Exist is the tenth studio album from the Hartnell brothers and their first since 2012’s Wonky. The brothers are no stranger to the techno music scene, having released two of the genre’s essential works in 1993 and 1996, with their second self-titled album and In Sides, respectively.

While the group’s first effort in six years may showcase some form and promise something grander that channels the spirit of their two best albums and some of their earlier overall work as a whole, their newest LP is not an “end all, be all” album, or even a consistently good album. It’s definitely rough around the edges, especially considering Orbital’s history of break-ups and reunions.

There’s a huge gap in quality when the opening and closing track are compared to each other. In between the promising opening track, “Monsters Exist” and the lackluster closing track “There Will Come a Time,” which features an out of place spoken word piece from musician-turned-physicist Brian Cox laid over bland instrumentals that drone on and on, there are bits and pieces all over the album that create hope of Orbital reaching the promised land, but do not break that barrier between good music and great music.

“Monsters Exist” is an excellent stride in quality from Paul and Phil Hartnoll; the ominous and eerie build-up rapidly demonstrates what made Orbital popular and what got them established within the techno scene: the production is methodical, yet passionate. The ambiance is welcoming, yet eerie. The song’s attitude is reserved, yet still boisterous at the same time.  

Despite the eerie and somewhat futuristic direction this album takes, Monsters Exist goes in a more playful and bouncy direction in places throughout the album. “Hoo Hoo Ha Ha” is one of the more energetic tracks on the album, and is crafted with the dance floor in mind.  

Too much of the same thing, however, gets tiring very quickly. This is where Monsters Exist tends to fall off the wagon and can’t seem to pick itself back up again. Tracks like “P.H.U.K.” and “Vision OnE” sound as if they were cut from the same cloth that created the first two songs on this album, and there’s no memorability coming in from any of these tracks—or at least, something good to remember these tracks from.

The reason why the above is mentioned is that there’s a difference between trying to make something erotic because it would be better if it was erotic and making something erotic just for the sake of being erotic. “The End Is Nigh,” unfortunately, falls into the latter category. Sexual moans and pants, combined with bro-step elements, don’t make for a good song and are a large departure from the promise the album had at the very beginning. No matter how hard the Hartnolls try to formulate a melody through passion and eroticism, they aren’t D’Angelo.

Trying to live up to your past in the music industry is tough, especially in an electronic music scene that is changing almost every minute. Orbital, having been around for so long, still show they’ve got some chops when it comes to trying to play catch-up. In the end, however, their new music isn’t going to stop someone in their tracks.