Photo by Johnny Hostile
Nightmares; We all get them, we all hate them, so like many others, I do my best to avoid any spooky content late at night. I know not to put on the exorcist DVD, read any Stephen King novels or watch any presidential debates before I get my long-awaited beauty sleep, but I really thought I would be safe listening to an album. Surprisingly, I was wrong. Thanks to Jehnny Beth, I’ll be sleeping with the lights on tonight, and yes, I do intend on sending her the electricity bill.
‘TO LOVE IS TO LIVE’, released in the appropriately hellish year 2020, is a masterful body of work that uses ambient noise, including radio static and aggressive sounds of machinery, to create an apocalyptic atmosphere that I’m sure hits close to home for us all at the moment. With themes of longing and identity expressed not only through haunting lyrics but also with intense production elements reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails and early Marilyn Manson, the album plays like a horror movie and never quite leaves you feeling comfortable enough to let your guard down.
The pacing and dynamics are next to flawless, especially with the intense climax of “How Could You” featuring IDLES that explodes with unsettling noise at every corner, as though you’re being chased and having to run faster and faster.
Jehnny Beth paints a picture of a horrific, industrial world starved of love and serenity. We may look, but we must not touch. It’s not safe for us to get too close. ‘TO LOVE IS TO LIVE’ serves as a warning, and a terrifying one at that, so for those reading this thinking “how unnerving can it be? It’s just an album!” I double dare you to listen to it on your long walk home in the dark...
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