Husband-and-wife duos have proven to be appealing in the indie world. While some like Mates of State have found success with an excessively saccharine sound, Handsome Furs' prove with its latest album, Sound Kapital that it's okay to go a shade darker.
With this third release, Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry manage to marry synth-pop with atmospheric guitars and keyboard. Songs like "Repatriated" and "When I Get Back" are instantly likeable and may remind listeners of songs from 2007's Plague Park. It is with songs like these that the Handsome Furs that listeners know and love shine through.
Those moments however, are somewhat short-lived. Unlike the past two releases, this album feels more like a blast from the past with it's, as it is sonically synthy-pop. "Memories of the Future" and "What About Us" echo bands like New Order or Cut Copy. This sonic change may catch listeners slightly off guard at first and only time will tell if this is a positive or negative attribute. This album definitely asks that listeners give it more than a couple listens and at the end of the day there's really nothing wrong with that.
Grade: B
