[Kontra-Musik]

The Swedish trio Frak have an extensive discography dating back to the 1980s, releasing almost exclusively on their own Börft Records. In spite of this, their idiosyncratic brand of minimalist industrial has been little known outside of Sweden until very recently. In February, the American label Digitalis issued Muzika Electronic, their latest LP, to a fair bit of acclaim. Their sound joins the dots between a wide range of in-vogue genres, from minimal synth revivalism to so-called “post-techno.” It’s reasonable to assume that Kontra-Musik, a Swedish enterprise, is not simply trying to capitalize on Frak’s newfound renown with this hand-stamped white label, but Triffid Gossip is nevertheless every bit as striking as the LP.

The duo’s sound spans a wide stylistic range, but the four tracks here are of a decidedly brutalist, rhythm-track bent — they’re not precisely aimed at the club, but it’s clear why they’re being released on a house-and-techno imprint. On “666,” searingly crisp open hi-hats bridge the space between a chugging, gyrating arpeggio and steely, blaring synth stabs. The battering pulse of “888” isn’t so far from the wilder end of early 90s Chicago house, while “555” is all but dominated by its bass line’s buzzing croak. Finally, “999” places taut, jolting stabs and a John Carpenter-esque arpeggio on sparse but slinky drum patterns. It’s simple enough to describe what’s going on, but it’s Frak’s quirky, almost primitivist construction that makes Triffid Gossip such a special listen, and casts them as obvious peers to European oddball crews like Sex Tags Mania and Acido.