For their 6th full-length CONFLICT DLC (Loma Vista Recordings) HEALTH chose to work with pop-producer Stint, whose work has included Ke$ha and Demi Lovato. In some ways this streamlined their sound by taking away some of the noisy edges that had raged in the periphery of previous albums.But the core mood is their giving you the depressive androgynous vibes  juxtaposed against the more hammering industrial march they are known for. This can be heard on  “Ordinary Loss” that opens the album. 

The vocals sit very forward in the mix. Though the overall sound summoned here is not as dark, even though they hit you with a barrage of metallic guitars courtesy of Willie Adler from Lamb of God, who lends a thrashing chug to things. Despite up-tempo pacing, and a more up-beat vibe the songs are more depressing than ever, with an even more bleak outlook cast up the already self deprecating narrative that is a staple of their identity, little more hope than I am used to hearing from them. 

“Vibe Cop” works off a familiar formula, with his fragile tenor vocals haunting you from within the cogs of the industrial machine churning forward. The pulse of “Trash Decade” is more along the lines of what long-time fans expect from these guys. Lyrically, it is also one of the album’s stronger songs so far. “Anidote” is a sign of positive change, while it is written more like a pop song it finds them digging into deeper melodies and giving themselves the sonic space for wonderful hooks. 

Long time fans do not fear that they are selling out , while it is marginally more accessible if they were going to break into the mainstream, it would have been before they were 6 albums into their career. But it should secure them as a more noted name in the circles they traverse. There is a subtle hook in “DARKAGE” that works wonders. However the real magic comes in a song like “Shred Envy” is not about shredding guitar, but rather wishing he had never been born. The crunch of guitar and screaming  are mixed into the background. “You Died” has an interesting, almost witch house beat to it and finds experimentation paying off.  The vocals sit in a more subtle place, with the lyrics cutting through to deliver their lamentations of heartbreak in the big city. “Thought Leader” finds them taking you down the sad boy path that works so well. The guitar sound is tweaked a bit on this album, and the fact they have stayed on tour this album cycle has  played in their favor as a band. 

“Don’t Kill Yourself” is another really emotionally powerful song, despite their knack for sounding disassociated from their emotional turmoil; the self-loathing is dialed up even from the outside looking in. The way they sing about hating their bodies reflects this. There is a Depeche Mode feel to the last song. The production choices don’t sterilize all the emotional darkness from the album, so it gives you both the drugged out throb and the sweet dystopian sound of self-loathing. Six albums in with minimal compromise, in this day and age, Conflict DLC works better than expected and finds the demise of the world around them to continue to provide ample inspiration. 

Buy the album here:
https://youwillloveeachother.bandcamp.com/album/conflict-dlc

9 / 10
WIL CIFER
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