The Black Queen ‘Infinite Games’ Review: sophomore release from electronic trio fronted by ex-Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato brings their brand of dark wave to inspired heights. 

★★★★

The Black Queen’s 2016 début Fever Daydream was one of the most pleasant musical surprises in recent memory, seeing former The Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist Greg Puciato explore delicate musical textures that stood in stark relief from his experimental metal roots. It split the difference between 80’s synth-pop, ambient electronica, and eerie industrial to sublime effect.

The group (rounded out by Steven Alexander Ryan and Telefon Tel Aviv’s Joshua Eustis) are back with Infinite Games (out September 28 on the group’s own Federal Prisoner Recordings), a confident sophomore effort that sees them expand upon their intoxicating début, adding new dynamics to their slick aesthetic.

Games kicks off with the inky, liquid synth stabs of Even Still I Want To, with Puciato’s hushed multi-track vocals approximating two lovers whispering in the night. This lead into Thrown In The Dark, whose strident processed drums recalls The Human League’s Human, complimented by icy keyboards and the singer’s R&B inflected pipes, which soar high and clean over the mix.

There is a pronounced cinematic quality to The Black Queen’s sound, and in many ways, Infinite Games sounds like a soundtrack to a film that doesn’t exist: the percolating No Accusations and noir-ambient soundscapes of Your Move could easily fit on a Nicolas Winding Refn soundtrack, with songs that are intricately constructed with atmosphere to spare.

Lies About You is made for the dance floor, recalling M83 and vintage Depeche Mode, with an infectious synth bass line, before things unspool into an ambient vapor trail at its conclusion.

Impossible Condition and Spatial Boundaries are even more accessible, with glittering pop arrangements. But no matter how irresistible the melody, there is a dark textural undercurrent that remains, keeping things ever so intriguingly off-kilter, like 100 to Zero, which recalls Tears For Fears Everybody Wants To Rule The World with a more melancholic edge.

Infinite Games saves its best moments for last: Porcelain Veins (featuring lyrics like Cold champagne/we’re dancing/we feel 16 tonight/Your silken, fine white skin/we’re both afraid to die) sheds pure electronica for acoustic guitar and post-punk atmospherics to bleed through with splendid results.

One Edge or Two is a true showstopper, building from an ominous synth-snarl exoskeleton to wide-screen chorus, culminating with Puciato’s chill-inducing choral refrain climbing off the edge of two worlds.

Infinite Games proves The Black Queen are living up to their new album’s title–theirs is a sound ripe with infinite possibilities, and shows no signs of diminishing anytime soon.

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