- Andrew Weatherall sometimes refers to his music as "drug chug,” and in some ways you could imagine Autarkic's Golf Channel debut slotting into the neologism. Unpeel Hello To Mrs. Blank's layers of dub and coldwave and the description becomes less useful. The EP's more functional moments, like the Red Axes-assisted "Golden Shades," gesture to ambitions that stretch beyond the DJ bag.
Much of Hello To Mrs. Blank is spacious and crunchy, and it benefits Autarkic's distorted, laconic singing. On "Ghosts,” though, he coils his rasp into a snarl, tailoring it to a brisk stretch of smoky horns and a smash of drums that breaks with the EP's languid pace. The exertion doesn't flatter him, and on balance it's Hello To Mrs. Blank's weakest moment.
The rest is generally great—"Show Me What You Haven't Got" is a velvety passage of jazz trumpet and humming electro-acoustic guitar, which ambles softly. "At Last I Am Free" is rendered in the EP's muted tones, but still seems to skip over the simple synth pop frame. There's a firm enough pulse for hedonists, but also a lulling tone, like Depeche Mode rocking you to sleep.
TracklistA1 Golden Shades feat. Red Axes
A2 At Last I Am Free
B1 Ghosts
B2 Show Me What You Haven't Got