Kissing Luck Goodbye

ADULT. Is not cooperating. For over 25 years, the dystopian Detroit synth-punk institution founded by Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller has embodied steadfast frustration, distrust, and apprehension. One might expect the edges to soften with time, but ADULT. Is not interested in the comforts of legacy. The duo's music has never sounded as visceral, urgent, and downright angry as it does on the culminating, uncompromising 'Kissing Luck Goodbye,' their scorched-earth 10th LP and fourth with Dais Records. Built with upgraded gear and a whole new library of sounds, the material is crushingly dynamic, louder yet clearer, with Kuperus' commanding delivery given greater prominence in the mix, outlining an arsenal of vivid, caustic calls, chants, and musings. Laughter, whether in the lyrics or as a possessed presence, serves as a leitmotif that speaks to the menacing absurdity of modern times. "THE CHAOS IS WHAT THEY WANT," she sings on "R U 4 $ALE", doubling as a declaration of intent: to meet a burning world of greed and disarray with defiant, masterfully assembled chaos. "You have two choices in this hellscape we're living in right now, which is either fight or be depressed," says Miller. "Either one is okay. But, you know, the choice was simple." ADULT. Is known for high-stakes catharsis on stage, and recently deployed their back catalog of bass guitar songs from the 2000s, retracing the prescient Anxiety Always era partially out of necessity given the temperature of today's political and technological dread. T With failing studio air conditioners and dead car batteries (their sacred space for listening back to recordings), they often joked that the album might be cursed. The sentiment didn't stick, however, as they found themselves ultimately too super-charged by fury to sit still. From watching Musk's disgusting Nazi salute to seeing their community struggle under the new regime to waiting months for a tariff-inflated replacement subwoofer, the vibe heading into 'Kissing Luck Goodbye' was four middle fingers pointed straight up. Rather than retreat, they focused on the process, revisiting their setup, complete with their first new mics in 20 years. They obsessed over textures, amassing a massive sample library taken from old thrift-store albums, previously used and unused ADULT. Ingredients and new field recordings, running myriad items, including the buzz of shop vacs, through various pedals. Pause 'Kissing Luck Goodbye' at any moment, and you're likely to count a dozen things happening at once in strange, dizzying, and dissonant harmony. Together with producer Nolan Gray, whose involvement resulted from a chance encounter (he happened to be the host of the short-term rental property where the two stayed - maybe there is still some luck, after all), the band pushed themselves harder than ever before to build a world with this record. Songs took shape from unusual places: "No One Is Coming" got it's tempo from a skipping record they captured through a cell phone during a bnb stay for Kuperus' 50th birthday. A bassline-driven industrial anthem that turns feedback into melody, the track attacks inaction in the face of fascism - "NO ONE IS COMING TO YOUR RESCUE" is as simple as that: the resistance will not be provided by someone else. "None of It's Fun" blitzes with breathless urgency, high-speed glissades, and pointed lines like "OH I AM TEARING MY GUTS OUT / LOOK AT ME... DO YOU THINK THAT THIS IS AMUSING?"