Riding the mainstream/indie line is a lofty goal for any artist, one that Brooklyn-based dance-punk quartet Model/Actriz have taken up since the release of their debut album Dogsbody in 2023. Produced by modern noise wizard Seth Manchester, its urgent, propulsive dance rhythms rub up against cycling guitar dissonance and alternately playful and tortured wordplay from frontman Cole Haden. It was a wildly entertaining introduction to the band that took the second spot of my favorite albums of that year and left me eager to see what they cooked up next.
It’s worth noting that, despite the group’s debut full-length releasing in 2023, Model/Actriz has origins stretching back to 2016 in Boston, where drummer Ruben Radlauer and guitarist Jack Wetmore grew up and attended Berklee together before meeting Haden. The long gestation period for Dogsbody feels, in hindsight, like a prelude to Pirouette in a way. The new material feels like it takes their established sound and refines it: similar, but more muscular, more distinct. Equal touches of Daughters and New Order continue to permeate the band’s aesthetic, a combination that proves catchy and exhilarating.
When the group began teasing Pirouette earlier this year, they delivered singles that wisely reveal different angles to the band’s sonic pallet: “Cinderella” probably sounds the most like Dogsbody with its disco-inspired hi-hat work and growling bass hits buttressing an earworm no-wave chorus, “Diva” slows the tempo down to a menacing crawl through bars in Copenhagen and Amsterdam, and “Doves” begins with an understated vocal melody atop an unsettling groove that builds and builds until it dynamically drops out in the chorus, bringing to mind the clear influence of Nine Inch Nails’ “March of the Pigs.”
The second half of Pirouette is where Model/Actriz really stretch out and experiment with their sound. “Headlights” is a spoken word interlude regarding an unrequited crush Haden had as a child and how it slowly turned into something he hated himself for – the ambience behind him subtly morphs and changes, but his voice remains resolutely controlled, like he was coming to terms with his feelings while recording it. This segues seamlessly into “Acid Rain,” another slow burn that sees Haden crooning softly in a Thom Yorke-esque near-falsetto. His lyrics are bare and heartfelt: ‘Your voice is with me/I’m reminded, I sing in part/Because you often told me that you liked to listen.‘ The end of the song pulls back on the intensity even more, with circling, jangly Slint-like guitar lines as Haden reaches further up in his range, giving the song a haunting coda. When “Departures” follows immediately after with a beat and chords that sound like the Mortal Kombat soundtrack of all things, it’s a jarring and effective transition. The song is one of the most melodic on the album, with Haden’s voice effortlessly moving between demure and detached as he sings about embodying all that he finds beautiful in this world: Osiris, Magdalene, and Persephone, to name a few.
“Audience” and “Ring Road” crank the atonality back up with stabbing guitar chords and distortion, but the closing “Baton” is the heartwrenching finale that Model/Actriz have been working toward all along. ‘When you recall things I’ve forgotten/It can feel strange knowing I’ve been a person/Like you are to me, sister,‘ Haden sings as the band billows softly in the background. It’s a poignant note to end Pirouette on: after all the sexual craving and role-playing going on earlier in the album, it culminates with an impassioned chant to love and kinship. This essential angle to Model/Actriz makes their music work so well, giving it a universally appealing quality. Their goth club ragers stand shoulder-to-shoulder with deeply affecting and relatable pieces about letting go, finding oneself, and living your truth. And I can think of no higher praise to heap on an artist than that.
