In these fluctuating corridors of Japanese underground rock, PLOTOLEMS have hewn a path that bleeds dread, crackles distortion, and throbs with the icy thud of industrial horror. Their newest track, “4294967296,” dropped as part of their debut mini-album “para?anomaly,” is an atmospheric condition, a digital séance for the dark and imploring.
A Tokyo band, this three-piece takes heavy inspiration from horror cinema and the moody underbelly of dark alternative rock. The number in the title may seem cryptic and entirely on purpose. “4294967296” sounds as if it had been beamed in as an encoded transmission from the other end of the galaxy, evoking the frigid intensity of bands like THE NOVEMBERS and OGRE YOU ASSHOLE while extrapolating it with its own industrial-edged, cinematic unease. The result is a song that suggests it could score a trip down into a haunted data server, cold, flickering, alive with threat.
Already having honed their sound on past releases, including the nearly 17-minute opus “Imaginary Person (Live Arranged),” PLOTOLEMS have further tightened their grip and vision within “para?anomaly,” and they did so without losing any of their characteristic craziness. “4294967296” might be the most potent symbol of that jagged and arresting track whose tension never resolves. Every synth swell, guitar scrape, and vocal haunt is purposeful, making the track feel less like a recording and more like a ritual.
The song’s technical finesse is no accident, though. Produced and mixed by Junya Iwata (Triple Time Studio) and mastered by Soichiro Nakamura (PEACE MUSIC), “4294967296” has been brought to life with the clarity that was due long ago while preserving its raw, underground cut. It’s slick horror, not antiseptic horror, that makes you think of a knife that’s been wiped down carefully after use.
Beyond the music, the rest of the band’s visual and thematic presentation only furthers the experience. The jacket was designed by ookikaname and modeled by Kina (Aisavil). The aesthetics of “para?anomaly” run through every inch of the release. PLOTOLEMS continues to drive their creepy art beyond audio. For horror-inflected alternative fans, “4294967296” is an invocation.
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