Album Review: The GOAT – The Details Are Vague

A thrilling dark experience when it’s at its best

The low distorted bass and pulled-back shakers on almost every track of The Details Are Vague imitates the nostalgic feelings from early 2000s industrial techno. That dark underground high-intensity noise is highlighted in GOAT’s latest work, bringing a dingy pulse reminiscent of something straight out of a poorly lit club. There is no lack of bass and minimalist influence in the twelve tracks, as The Details Are Vague grabs a little across multiple genres. The project’s struggle is its indecisiveness, length, transitions and individuality. The harshness within the hour project doesn’t hold up, its abusive slamming beats and cuts are both exciting and exhausting at times. When there is space carved into the project to explore and grow outside of the sound that one has been accustomed to, it’s too odd and short-lived to feel worthwhile.

From the first track, “Removed From Service” there is a heart-attack-inducing bass that slams against a wall with veracity. The high hats introduced dare you to dance to an otherwise intimidating backbeat. “Removed From Service” is what The Details Are Vague should be, unforgiving tantalizing horror. The pacing is like a jump scare, satisfying with its shortness and earned, never lingering too far. “Good Morning Sinners” executes this atmosphere just as well, with a bombardment of oceanic echoes layered on hard bass and crashing sounds like two garbage can lids colliding. Whether it’s the stripped-down backbeat coated in alien sound effects on “Parse,” or the faded instrumentals and shakers in “Random Dot Auto Stereogram,” there is a serious impact in The Details Are Vague openers.

“Ephemeral” feels as though it’s dipping its toes in genres of house and dubstep while continuing the dark tones previously established. The transitions and switches between sounds on “Ephemeral” and other highlight track “The Mud Of Humanity” are welcomed additions, as the other tracks linger on far past what they should, both decreasing the intensity and likability of what is presented. That is where The Details Are Vague struggles most. Some tracks are too formulaic and similar to notice the details within each track. The simplicity and minimalist nature of tracks do not allow for error, they must continue to entice throughout their lengthy runtimes.

The track “Alone” struggles the most as it claws for attention by including dark pop-rock artist Melohalo. Not only are the lyrics and vocals forgettable on top of a more forgettable backbeat, but they are also just simply out of place. “Alone” derails any momentum previously brought to the table, shifting away from the dark atmosphere and more into a lighter tone. The same can be said for “You Missed The Forest For The Trees,” an ambient ethereal tone that ditches hard bass for light strings and echoes. While “You Missed The Forest For The Trees” may not fail as a stand-alone ambient track, as there is some beauty and mystery in its atmosphere; it’s far too separated from the project’s full sound.

The transition from track to track also feels unintentional, almost every track’s ending feels like a film reel that has run out. The transition from “You Missed The Forest For The Trees” into the mechanical and robotic “Parsec” is an abrupt one. That doesn’t mean “Parsec” doesn’t succeed as a chaotic glimpse into a futuristic robotic factory sound, with its clicks and fast-paced samples placing listeners into its assembly line. The destructive and assertive sounds of “The Mud Of Humanity” and “Reduced To Ashes” help bring the album full circle. “Reduced To Ashes” will please any Nine Inch Nails enthusiast as Jaminson’s vocal style is akin to Trent Reznor’s, and the garage rock electronic sound fits in as well. “Reduced To Ashes” may be a great homage to the achievements of Nine Inch Nails, but it doesn’t mesh with the previously mentioned tracks.

The cinematic horror low tones tear through the track to track like a chase scene, its lingering run times can make what was originally engaging, stale. The GOAT still achieves what is the basis in The Details Are Vague, a dark atmospherically techno album that can hit hard. Creating a sense of completion from song to song could provide the cohesiveness that is lacking in GOAT’s newest project, still, the raw industrial side of The Details Are Vague leaves room to be explored.