Street Sects : Dry Drunk/Full Color Eclipse
Industrial duo Street Sects are releasing not just their first new album in seven years, but two albums, under two different names. Sort of: the second album, Full Color Eclipse is under the name Street Sex. Given the kind of chaos they are known to summon, it only makes sense to examine them both at the same time, as both deal with Leo Ashline’s stint at sobriety, as well as his relapse. Both albums are confrontational, just handled in different manners; their release as Street Sex works off a synth-pop dynamism with no harshly screamed vocals, a dramatic contrast to their industrial album that feels like the Virgin Prunes jamming with Full of Hell. Both albums take a few listens to sink in.
The Street Sex grooves are more fluid and conventional, less glitch ridden, break into jarring turns to sonic spasms. Street Sects do not abandon all songwriting in favor of noise, as songs like “Spitting Images” find Ashline’s manic scream shifting into a more melodic approach, giving the song form and function. The duo have said the Sex album showcases their love of pop music, though it is electronic music working off synth grooves that could sneak its way into a Goth Nite DJ’s set more easily. Nothing is dumbed down for mass consumption, with a sullen shadow over the ass-shaking vibes of “Turn Blue.”
Street Sects weaponize their sonics on Dry Drunk, produced by Ben Chisholm of Chelsea Wolfe’s band, particularly on a song like “Love Makes You Fat,” which is more of a violent outburst. They manage to allow room for dynamics and an undulating grind of synths, distorted to the point of nightmarish. The stark picture of sound painted on “Baker Act” provides an interesting take on being forcibly hospitalized due to mental health issues; the abrasive edge is a fair depiction of his internal dialogue at the time. Its scathing vocals lean more toward the sound of a hardcore singer’s brak. But for all the screaming, the Sex side of things proves Ashline has grown as a vocalist.
An interesting juxtaposition of sound causes the Sex album to feel something more like a party, even though the lyrics tell a different story, whereas the Sects album finds a rawer emotional expression. Taken together, both albums continue to expand Street Sects’ unique take on industrial music, less post-apocalyptic and more post-traumatic.
Label: Compulsion
Year: 2025
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