Lucy 'Banality Of Evil' [SA013]

Lucy’s ‘Banality of Evil’ EP teases apart the dark sides of human psychology and lays them down as fractured, angular tracks. Inspired by Hannah Arendt’s writings on conformity and totalitarianism SA013 makes for provocative listening. ‘Superior Orders’ is an off kilter introduction: Lucy took synth lines that Roll The Dice crafted in Stockholm and broke them down, buckling the lines and revealing their malevolence. ‘Stanford Prison’ layers wistful top lines over driving base creating a fluid, transitory atmosphere. ‘Milgram Experiment’ opens with a beautifully simple sequence and splinters into deep, warm dub. The track includes voices, but these are not catchy euphoric vocals, instead a voice repeats: ‘I began to feel that I was losing my identity’. The tracks don’t aim to soundtrack the experiments and theories of their titles, instead they act as a point in case. Their dense structures and repeating sequences hint at how conformity and obedience normalize the darkest of human behaviours. ‘Asch Paradigm’ is a stunning, molten close, it feels heavy and weighted but as with the EP as a hole, Lucy handles this dark material with an incredible lightness of touch.

SA013 was craftily mastered by Artefacts Mastering, Berlin.

Words: Clare Molloy