It’s tempting to think of the self-titled sixth album from Toronto duo Odonis Odonis as a full-circle/get-back move. After years of thrashing away in the strobe-lit industrial trenches, it feels like founding members Constantin Tzenos and Denholm Whale are reconnecting with their formative alt-rock influences, be it The Cure circa Disintegration, Power Corruption Lies-era New Order, and the 1987-92 Creation Records roster. But Odonis Odonis is less about reliving teenage dreams than confronting adult anxieties. Like any musical outfit of limited means, Odonis Odonis are trying to keep their heads above water in a perfect storm of post-pandemic inflation, invasive technology, and unchecked capitalism. And that stress is only compounded when they tend to their lives jobs outside the band: Whale works in the all-hustle/no-security world of independent concert promotion; Tzenos is a compositor for film and television staring down the threat of AI in his industry, all while navigating the uncharted terrain of new fatherhood. Given all the pressures weighing on them, Odonis Odonis’ move away from industrial music feels less like mere fatigue with a specific musical aesthetic than a philosophical rejection of the automation encroaching on all facets of our lives.
