Dust and conflict meet stylish pop…
The latest offering from the Cult With No Name camp marks the electronic duo’s twelfth album following on from 2023’s X Into I, continuing an impressive catalogue of work that encompasses a knack for mood and style that they’ve made all their own.
Indifference and Dust ticks all the boxes you would expect from Erik Stein and Jon Boux with wry lyrical narratives, sweeping synth tones and melancholic piano melodies. Many of the songs on offer here appear to revolve around themes of war or conflict, which in some cases can also be applied to themes of love and relationships. As ever, CWNN’s lyrics can be interpreted in many ways and the songs invite the listener to lend their own meanings.
Anyone following CWNN on social media will likely be familiar with their intriguing approach to announcing new song compositions, typically showcased by a photo of handwritten lyrics next to a book of choice. The books may reflect some influence on the songs (or are simply selected to evoke a certain mood), but the titles certainly suggest that the compositions are pulling from a deeper well then you might expect. Books by the likes of Guy Debord, Jean Cocteau, Samuel Beckett and Henry Thoreau suggest that there may be heavier themes at work.
That said, much of the material on Indifference and Dust suggests a lighter, more airy approach to song composition. There’s a sense of experimenting with sound here and there’s even hints of more Eastern flavours present on some tracks. Brisk album opener ‘Running (in and) Out of Time’ typifies some of these ideas, a dreamlike indulgence whose lyrics play around with the nature of time and loss (“before you know it years have come and gone”).
The album’s title track seems to possess some tightly coiled energy lurking among its shuffling beats while also casually throwing around intriguing lines such as “indifference and dust is born out of hate”. ‘Set, Go’ leans more into the electronic side of things with compact layers of tone and mood while also feeling oddly minimalist in delivery.
There’s a quieter beauty present on ‘Natures of Conflict’, a meditative number that’s sprinkled with contemplative piano fills. Lyrically, the song seems to address the folly of violence as a solution with lines such as “natures of conflict come home to you” taking on a weightier aspect. The band’s faith in this number came quite early when they announced the new song some time back on social media (“this one really is a cracker”) and its faith that’s well placed as it emerges as a standout moment for the album as a whole.
As ever, CWNN like to serve up some wordplay in their work, hence album tracks such as ‘Home’s Where the Heart Was’ and ‘Niall in the Coffin’. The former appears to explore themes of regret amid some smartly crafted electronic foundations. There’s a kind of laid-back intensity at work here (if that could be called a thing) on a baroque pop moment supported by the track’s casual percussion.
The breathy tones of ‘Mirror Mirror Test’ provides an instrumental breakpoint for the album, a warm slice of electronica that invites pause and reflection. Meanwhile, one of the album’s highlights is served up next, care of ‘Clockout’, a breezy outing on which Stein’s vocals are bolstered by some breathy under-vocals from Tiny Magnetic Pets’ Paula Gilmer. Elsewhere, the enigmatically titled ‘240 Vaults’ was apparently a composition that went through a few changes from when it was first penned with Stein musing that “the lyrics deserved something better”. The end result here is an effective number wrapped in cosmic beats and gauzy sweeps.
Naturally, the album’s design approach is once again on-point; another smartly observed concept from Bit-Phalanx incorporating a moody soft-focus image of the duo matched with a stark yellow profile inside the sleeve.
Indifference and Dust captures Cult With No Name’s penchant for stylish electronic pop and provides a perfect choice for your summer playlist.
Indifference and Dust is released 25th July 2025.
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