(Groovescooter/Creative Vibes)

Sydney-based producer / musician Don Meers’ previous two albums for Groovescooter Records, ‘Train Noise’ and its companion remix release ‘Track Works’ first brought his filmic downbeat productions to a wider audience, echoes of jazz and Indian influences percolating through a lush mix that called to mind Vangelis’ classic synth-dominated scores as much as it did contemporary electronics. This first single to be lifted from Meer’s imminently released fourth album ‘Splint’ (expected late August) offers a taste of the considerably different trajectory he’s apparently pursued making this latest record, with title track ‘Dum’ venturing into brooding synth pop territory and New Romantic-tinged vocals, while B-side ‘Crash’ presents a slice of sinister cinematic ambience that’s more in keeping with the sorts of territory explored on Meer’s previous two albums.

With dark buzzing synths that call to mind mid-period Depeche Mode and slow metronomically punching drum machine beats, ‘Dum’ layers a rich, almost crooned male vocal that sits somewhere between David (s) Gahan and Sylvian through shimmering layers of burbling electronics and dark ambient drones, the entire effect calling to mind the moody theatrics of John Foxx-era Ultravox, while the stretched out phrasing during the chorus vocal adds an intangible touch of American influence that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. By comparison, ‘Crash’ ventures down into dark instrumental atmospherics, with skittering digitally-edited live snares tracing a path through eerie droning ambience, stretched-out reversed guitar textures and twinkling percussion, calling to mind some slo-motion meeting point between Amon Tobin’s dark filmic lushness and the post-rock experimentation of the Thrill Jockey label.

An excellent first taster for ‘Splint’ that certainly ups the anticipation levels for Meer’s upcoming fourth album; while ‘Dum’ certainly signals a considerable change in direction compared to his previous two records, in this case both production and approach are carried out with aplomb.

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