Heading into its full-length debut with a full head of steam — thanks in part to a series of infectious singles — British four-piece Late of the Pier crashes the party, ready to unleash an unflinching electronic aesthetic upon the masses. Most of the album consists of bizarre sounds that the band members craft into transcendent, dance-inducing music with their delicate, indie-electronic hands. Held together by Samuel Eastgate's snarky, delightfully Limey vocals, Fantasy Black Channel hardly misses a beat throughout its 12 songs. The album is damn-near perfect indie-electronic bliss, suffering a few hiccups with some slower, bloated songs. The initial, throbbing drumbeats of closing opus "Bathroom Gurgle" are irresistibly cocky, full of a bravado a band usually finds in its later albums. At its best, Fantasy Black Channel is a menacing aural journey, complete with manipulative drumbeats and spacey, futuristic synths. It leaves listeners exhausted and enthralled. It's on the song "Heartbeat," though, that the album's true meaning is revealed when Eastgate croons, "Pineapple pieces in brine/Fucking around with your mind." Pineapple in brine would fuck with my mind — right after Fantasy Black Channel completely blows it.
