Black Strobe

Few bands manage to combine guitars and electronics as successfully as Black Strobe do here. Take the first single Shining Bright Star, a stunning marriage of gut-butting bass guitar, droning synth and Arnaud's menacing but melodic vocals over a mass of dark, gothic, electronic twists. Black Strobe have created what can only be described as an acid house, disco-punk anthem. The opening track 'Brenn Di Ega Kjerke', Norwegian for 'Burn Your Own Church' is a nod to principal songwriter Arnaud's fascination with the extreme sound of so-called black metal. Accordingly, it's a crunchingly heavy song, pulsing synths colliding with guitars inspired by My Bloody Valentine's 1991 album Loveless. The flip side to the band's personality is Girl Next Door, as downbeat and spooky as a 4AM walk home. Perhaps the most surprising moment is a high-octane electronic cover of 'I'm A Man' by rock'n'roll icon Bo Diddly. The sum of these parts is a jaw-dropping debut indeed.

Burn Your Own Church may be heavier and more rock-oriented than anything the band have done before says Arnaud, "I wanted to write music I really liked and something that reflected the music I grew up with. The idea was freedom." To help Black Strobe assemble their wide-ranging and hugely ambitious influences was producer Paul Epworth.

Only one question remains: what took them so long? "Because it was quite difficult," laughs Arnaud. "It was hard to find a good way to get out of dance music. We had to learn how to be a band and had to learn how to play live." Ultimately, it's worked to Black Strobe's advantage. As a result, Black Strobe have developed into a thrilling live act, with Arnaud an imposing, gravel-voiced front man - a thicker set Nick Cave, perhaps.

Arnaud also name checks Klaxons and The Horrors. "I think we're quiteclose to Klaxons in terms of production, although maybe we are a littlebit darker because of the low voice and the different influences. But we have the same mood, the same mix of synths and guitars." Indeed, a hybrid of Klaxons and The Horrors isn't the worst description of Black Strobe.

The last word goes to Arnaud. "The album is a collection of raw songs about love, addiction, (self) waste," he says. "It's an album made by guys who love burn their own church."