Way back in April of this year, the Canadian kings of sinister music known as Timber Timbre released their sixth album, Sincerely, Future Pollution. It seems the modern social and political climate has provided the perfect fuel for the creativity of a band known for their dark, eerie sound. This record marks a significant departure from their earlier albums, but still manages to deliver that quintessential Timber Timbre feel that their fans have come to love.

The cover of Sincerely, Future Pollution, shows a seemingly endless urban centre in stark black and white. The indistinguishable square skyscrapers are lifeless, looking like the homes of thousands of people who are trapped in city life. The music contains the observations of someone within the scene, trying to draw attention to its poison. Between seemingly hopeless verses, illustrative instrumental segments allow the listener to imagine the robotic method with which the inhabitants of the city move about their daily lives.

In order to convey the dreary outlook on Sincerely, Future Pollution, Timber Timbre has taken their immediately recognizable sound, and applied it to some modern musical trends. The creepy, bass-driven rockabilly cowboy is in full display, but this time, there’s a little bit of groove in his step. Heavy, warbling synthesizers feature more heavily on this album than they have in the past, taking the tones of modern pop and electronic music and making them weird. There’s a little bit of funk present here as well, but the playful bounce of a song like “Grifting” comes across as sarcastic.

If you haven’t already, get listening to Sincerely, Future Pollution, and see this band live if you have the chance. My first exposure to this batch of new tunes came from their Ottawa show a couple months back, and I was instantly hooked.

~Dave