That’s the thing about shadows. Consistency. There are no surprises with shadows as they can be guaranteed to swallow up the light. The same could be said about “No Prēyers” by bleak LA post punkers The Electric West with their consistently downbeat approach threatening to swallow up any sunshine that should happen to be in the vicinity.
So, the album itself is post midnight fare with no attempt being made to attract those who desire to walk in the light. Nothing wrong with that as The Electric West are part of a musical genre that revels in such things and, indeed, they do such things successfully with a swirling maelstrom of guitars, drums and keyboards often threatening to sweep this tempest of songs starting with “No” all the way out in to the sea of permanent torment.
Oddly enough, and this may depend on your mood and potential chemical imbalances, the most impressive thing about this album, and the band themselves, is the sense of scale that they bring to the party as if these songs were, in fact, the soundtrack to some post apocalypse and very off-Broadway play. This is a somewhat theatrical, and perhaps pretentious, approach but better that than the shining smiles of those forever enslaved to what is left of the music machine.
“No Prēyers” provides neither joy nor surprises but you would not truly expect that of a band existing within this genre yet there is something appealing about the angular musicality and nihilistic drama that has been transfused into this album by The Electric West. Just remember to look behind you for the shadows might come and get you.