New Zealand’s duo Robots in Love is back with “Cease and Desist”, a heavy electronic rock single featuring a synth barrage, dark industrial flavor and heavy guitars. Made up of Elenor Rayner and Alex Burchell, the Dunedin-based act continues to build on its mix of electronic sounds and heavy rock, delivering a track that feels intense, melodic and slightly unsettling.
“Cease and Desist” is about being obsessive and how it can take hold of a person. The subject is well suited to the heaviness of the song, the sound of the subject evoking a tension throughout the song. Rather than just guitars, Robots in Love include synthesizers, which add an industrial quality and further add to the music’s harder, more mechanical quality.
There’s plenty of weight to the guitars, and the electronic components provide texture and prevent the arrangement from becoming predictable. There are also plenty of melodic elements that make the song stick in the listener’s mind, under the weight of the heavier sound. Its metalcore build and alternative rock vibe from the late 90’s/early 2000’s give it a niche familiarity that doesn’t detract from its electronic sound.
Rayner’s vocals and production are well balanced with Burchell’s drumming and production in a forceful, well sculpted sound. The track is a combination of aggression and melody, with the darker themes and moods expressed within it.
Robots in Love are a strong offering for fans of industrial textures and electronic rock with some heavy guitars in their midst with “Cease and Desist”.
