An endless nighttime drive down the highway into the abyss of human existence: HTRK “Psychic 9-5 Club”
HTRK
“Psychic 9-5 Club“
(Ghostly International)
My favorite album of the last 25 years is definitely “Psychic 9-5 Club”by HTRK, a band I also had the pleasure of interviewing for Kaput. It’s pretty much the record I’ve listened to most often since its release, so the choice is very easy for me.
While the first two albums were still heavily influenced by post-punk à la Rowland S. Howard, this album marks a clear break towards a minimalist downtempo/electronica sound that, even eleven years later, doesn’t seem outdated or dusty in the slightest.
“Psychic 9-5 Club” was their first release on the legendary label Ghostly International, a perfect match in terms of sound and yet an absolute standout in the already excellent label catalog. The album was recorded as a duo for the first time after the death of their bassist Sean Stewart. This sadness is palpable throughout every single track. Even less than their previous work, this is not an album for cheerful moments, but rather a dark, intense journey that, even after all these years, has lost none of its fascination for me. An endless nighttime drive on the highway into the abyss of human existence. It’s one of those albums where I find it difficult to pick out individual highlights because it works best as a classic whole from start to finish.
After its release, things quietened down a bit for HTRK, but since the release of “Venus in Leo” in 2019, they have been extremely active again: they are touring worldwide, releasing small masterpieces at regular intervals and are probably more popular today than ever before. HTRK have lost none of their relevance over the years. Their sound is always in tune with the times or even one step ahead.
A small side note: the album was never reviewed by Pitchfork, but landed at number 2 in Resident Advisor’s 2014 annual charts. This is proof that albums that later achieve cult status are often overlooked in their time or at least received very differently.
