The term “industrial body funk” cannot be something used lightly—but the self-titled debut EP by Normal Bias is just that. As a collaboration by members of That Which Is Not Said (TWINS/DKA, 2MR) and Multiple Man (DKA, Fleisch), Matt Bias and Chris Normal create a humid, sleek atmosphere of dance music with a pop sensibility. As four tracks that spill over with seductive grooves, Matt’s silky vocals beckon as they slide over EBM-tinged basslines and 80s synth tones.
Normal Bias begins and ends with seduction. “Another Realm” is both mysterious and alluring as it slithers through its funky pulse, while the album’s single, “Embody Control” is charged with a tension found in Matt’s Gahan-esque singing style. The song “Kingdom Come” feels like if A Split-Second turned pop, a lush industrial production that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Finally, “Stuck in the Past” closes the EP with Matt’s croon that envelops both hysteria and melancholy—fitting, it seems, for such a duo who have separately perfected the art of weirdo dance music. And now, as a team, the synergetic productions of Normal Bias provide a distinctive sound we’ve been waiting for all these years.