HEALTH’s New Sound Evokes Godflesh and Trap Music

It’s been a little over a year since HEALTH dropped Death Magic, their ear-splitting noise-rock opus. Now, the Los Angeles crew is back at it, but they’re not having much fun — probably because their songwriting process is inherently masochistic. "We made the decision a long time ago to at a least always make an attempt to sound new, and not to sound like anyone else,” vocalist Jake Duzsik told The FADER recently. “It's always been a huge pain in the ass.” At least they’ve been channeling that pain into productivity: HEALTH have just unveiled “Crusher,” a new song released in conjunction with Adult Swim’s Singles 2016 series. True to the frontman’s word, the track signals an industrial update to the band’s praxis. From a constructional standpoint, the arrangement is rather minimal, if abrasive: just Duzsik’s androgynous, layered vocals, leaden synths, some mammoth bass and a ricocheting drum machine that’s as indebted to trap as it is Godflesh. Time will tell if “Crusher” presages HEALTH’s next LP’s stylistic m.o.; in the meantime, just sit back and enjoy the sweet, sweet fruits of their painful labor.