In Threes

Handle formed out of the ashes of DUDS, but their debut album, In Threes, suggests theyre arguably a more interesting prospect than that well-loved Manchester band. Some shades of DUDS lurching, lanky take on post-punk remain, and Handle are just as committed to rhythms that are so angular that they should topple over, but dont. However, Handle are much more economical; where DUDS was a dance-punk septet, this band is a trio that makes the most of each members skills. Even more so than with their previous group, bassist/vocalist Giulio Erasmus and drummer Nirvana Heire are a rhythm section with an intuitive understanding of each other -- something thats vital for music that teeters as close to the edge of chaos as In Threes does. They provide the perfect backdrop for Handles not-so-secret weapon, vocalist/keyboardist Leo Hermitt. Combined with Erasmus and Heires jerry-rigged rhythms, Hermitts stabbing, strafing keyboards and commanding vocals -- which alternate between wild-eyed questioning and a haughtiness that echoes the Delta 5 and the Slits -- keep listeners off guard throughout In Threes portraits of disorientation. Handle bookends the album with its most challenging, and perhaps most elemental, songs: Vocal Exercise gets In Threes off to a startling start with a cacophony of feral vocals, rubbery bass, and a lopsided rhythm that sounds like its being bashed out on pots and pans. The band ushers the album out with Describe, where Hermitts spoken word monologue and Erasmus bass hover unnervingly above a jittery beat that falls somewhere between a samba rhythm and a malfunctioning machine. In between these songs, Handle spend their time on In Threes proving that as distinctive as their sound is, its never limited. Their version of dance-punk is more danceable, and more subversive, than many of their contemporaries. On Step by Step, Handle dances on the line between forceful and ominous, while the agogo-heavy Lifes Work is a showcase not just for Heires affinity for Latin percussion but for Hermitts skill at imbuing a single phrase (my intentions were good!) with a storys worth of meaning. Handle also have a flair for shambling noise pop that seems catchy despite itself, as on the bracing, surreal Punctured Time, the gleefully sneering Rubbernecks, and Mhmm, which evokes the lumbering brilliance of the A Frames with its dive-bombing vocals and bass. Theyre downright charming on Coagulate, a joyously atonal celebration of a crush that feels akin to the rough poetry of the Raincoats. In Threes compact, addictive songs make for an exciting debut and prove that in Handles hands, post-punk still has the ability to surprise. ~ Heather Phares