If synth pop wandered into a dark alley and found itself viciously beaten by a gang of guitar distortion and layered rhythms, it might sound an awful lot like The Town Monster.

The band's 8-song release "New Life" had media citing influences as diverse as "Midnite Vultures"-era Beck to "Ministry at its most crushing." The resulting melange is propulsively agressive and unrelentingly groovy. Oh, and it's a two-piece that's making all that racket.

Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Nathan Photos rains down guitar riffs and shoots up synth lines with a vocal range that runs from black metal growl to Prince falsetto. Drummer Matt Grady's piercing beats add the right level of organic to the electronic, making this musical cyborg's eyes glow red.

The band has shared stages with appropriately diverse national acts including Weezer and Crystal Castles with radio airplay ranging from regular Top 5 play on local independent juggernaut CD102.5 in their hometown of Columbus, Ohio, to spins on L.A. modern rock staple KROQ.

The music all culminates in The Town Monster's crushing live show, an electro bath of sensory overload. It finds out what happens when noise becomes symphony.

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