Earlier this week, Brighton-based duo Prinzhorn Dance School released their third record, Home Economics, via DFA Records, and like any DFA-released album, it’s well worth a listen for any independent music aficionado. To celebrate the release of the album, the duo have shared a new video for their track, “Reigns”, streaming above.
Prinzhorn Dance School is the creative outlet of Tobin Prinz and Suzi Horn, forming Prinzhorn Dance School, a presumed nod to a specific semi-controversial psychiatrist and art historian. Yeah, somewhat of a bleak homage there, but in a way – it fits their dark twist on “dance” music.
The duo joined forces in 2006, and signed to DFA shortly after, releasing 2007’s self-titled debut and 2011’s Clay Class via the label famously founded by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy. Home Economics provides much sweeter sound than the duo’s previous albums, which each found Prinz and Horn finding satisfaction in the austerity of their own music. While the new album features plenty of moments of barren, near-silent moments, these lulling epochs are all meticulously planned.
The album spans only six tracks, totaling around 23 minutes, which in some circles would qualify as a lengthy EP, but instead should be taken as a sign of Prinzhorn Dance School’s cautious nature when it comes to their music. Prinz has stated that their first album found them “awkward” and “miserable,” but the duo seem to have found a confident stride on the new album. Home Economics is a tight, well-planned album, and its softer nature is welcomed compared to their previous efforts. It’s still minimalistic post-punk music, but the new album comes with a few more hooks, which, for the most part, all land like bittersweet uppercuts.
The two tracks that bookend the album, “Reign” and “Let Me Go” show that the group has heart. “Reign” features the duo singing “Do you feel lonely?” – a grim sentiment for the opening song of an album, but one that coalesces with the Home Economics, possessing an intimate, crawling blend of guitar and bass. The album closes with “Let Me Go”, clinching to a careful pluck of guitar strings, allowing us to reminisce that Ian Curtis never left us, as Prinz sings “I’m picking at time, I’m scratching at pieces/of a love that won’t rewind/will not be deleted/So I’m asking you to be kind/and let me go”
Prinzhorn Dance School are currently touring Europe, and while there are no current U.S. dates on tap, we’re hoping the duo will venture our way soon to play at least one of our favorite squalid and dimly-lit venues soon. For now, U.S. fans can purchase the album, available via iTunes and DFA.
