VCMG – SSSS

SSSS represents one of the most intriguing reunions in the history of electronica, bringing Vince Clarke and Martin Gore back together for the first time since the former left Depeche Mode over 30 years ago. As both the LP title and their chosen moniker suggest, it’s a deliberately unassuming affair: ten no-nonsense, dancefloor-oriented instrumentals, which marry the pair’s synth pop sensibilities to stripped-back electro in subtle yet infectious ways.
 
Standouts include Spock, a deftly-crafted take on bouncy-yet-dubby techno; and Aftermaths, which worms its way through a maze of metallic percussion and acid-tinged chords. A strength evident on every track, however, is VCMG’s ability to absorb contemporary influences without swamping the record’s unwaveringly minimalist focus. The end result is a record that resolutely shies away from ostentatiousness, while being as masterfully poppy, in its way, as anything in Gore and Clarke’s back catalogues.