Don't be fooled by the sofa. And don't go dreaming of California with the surfers. Encounters has a dark sound, like something you could use in the soundtrack to The Matrix or Fight Club. "Show me your way of life, and show me your identification card," says 21st Century Army; "The day the nightmares came to stay," says Home Truths.
You can tell this album has been made by Austrians troubled by their country's far-right resurgence. But it is tough, not depressing. The quartet have many collaborators to vary the vocal style (Oddatee, Junior Delgado, Dawna Lee etc), which has made them keep the music firm: stark, up-front drums and dubby basslines with no frills.
One of the coolest tunes, Babylon Thymes, has basically one note. Around this bare frame there is a muted narrative of crackling radios, wheezing babies and twisted orchestras. Seven tracks of this stark diet makes the organ and backing vocals of the ending tracks feel like the Hallelujah chorus. There is light, but it is right at the end of the tunnel.
