Julien-K Brought Together Industrial and Alternative In Their Debut "Death To Analog"

Industrial music has the power to make really damning statements, while alternative music tends to be more accessible. Combine both, and you have a unique blend of genres that doesn’t see the light of day too often, but does sound pretty damn great. That’s where you have Julien-K, a band constantly pushing the boundaries of both genres. But they had to start somewhere: Julien-K brought together industrial and alternative in their debut Death To Analog, taking two dynamic genres and creating an interesting byproduct.

Death To Analog has a very mechanical sound to it, but the messages within the music are definitely human. Title track ‘Death To Analog‘ opens the album up with the perfect combination of elements to introduce the band’s sound with: it’s like if 80s dance meet industrial rock. ‘Someday Soon‘ follows up with a larger 80’s influence with the huge synths and even more energy. Julien-K have a very dark Depeche Mode type sound to them, which is especially apparent in tracks like ‘Spiral‘ and ‘Look At U.’

Julien-K’s sound is different from other industrial names like Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson, but still have that sense of aggression. ‘Technical Difficulties‘ brings all that intensity forward, while ‘Forever‘ has that more pained vibe to it. Energy is present from the very start of the record in tracks like ‘Kick The Bass‘ to the very end with the dark groove of ‘Disease,’ or the moody dance of ‘Stranded.’ The chaos even seems to take over at times, especially during ‘Dystopian Girl.’ Julien-K’s debut hit all the stops, making the record dynamic and fun to listen to.

Julien-K brought together industrial and alternative in their debut Death To Analog, making for a huge and dynamic record that really challenged the quickly changing arena of alternative rock in the late 2000s. They’re like a modern take on Depeche Mode, and have only continued to bloom; it’s always nice to take a step back and see where a band began, though.

Favorite Tracks: Technical Difficulties, Look At U

Least Favorite Track: Forever

Rating: 75 / 100

Stream or buy Death To Analog on Apple Music, and follow our Throwback Playlist on Spotify: