HTRK (pronounced "hate rock") began under the influence of Roland S. Howard, who produced some of their early material and collaborated with members before his death in 2009. The Australian group had some clear post-punk influences early on, but it wasn't until their 2011 album "Work (Work, Work)" that HTRK truly came into their own. This album is a shimmering, sexy, dark mix of ambient pop, minimal-wave and dub. There is a buried, brooding and detached quality to these tracks; the dub basslines are infused with dreamy ambient textures and noisy guitars, and the deep, slow beats create an erotic and surreal feel to the album as a whole. The standout element, however, is the performance of singer Jonnine Standish, who invokes something like a druggy version of Sade in her smoky, sensual vocal style.
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