(((O))) Review: Mrs Frighthouse – Solitude Over Control

I have absolutely no musical ability and this has probably been a factor in my attraction to some of the darkest, weirdest and heaviest music around. Finding a way to interpret and connect to the pain and suffering espoused by the artists offers a release that I couldn’t have fathomed up musically. However, pain comes in many forms and there is a world of deeply expressive dark music which I have no emotional comprehension of and this is what makes Solitude Over Control so vital to me. Here the wife and wife duo of Mrs Frighthouse rage through experiences of misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, sexual violence and domestic abuse. The weight of these topics is wrapped in industrial noise and a unique vocal approach which is harrowing, eye opening and enlightening.

With such emotive topics it isn’t much of a surprise to experience a sound which is ferocious to the point of abrasion with claustrophobic and suffocating walls of noise. There are moments on the album that make me feel utterly powerless such as ‘Let My Spit Be Poison’. Like a dream where a voice is crying out, the vocals sit in the distance and no amount of running around or thrashing about brings them closer. The cloudy industrial noise just heightens the senses and grinds at the nerves. This is far from easy listening but there is almost a moment of light relief in ‘Seagulls Parts 1 and 2’ where a tale of Brighton seagulls trying to eat a family cat is portrayed amongst the album’s heavier topics.

Whilst the music is based in a harsh industrial sound base of synths and beats, Mrs Frighthouse have become regulars in supporting far more traditional guitar based bands and seamlessly integrated on bills with Wallowing, Malevich, Meth and Inter Arma, to name but a few. Just as those artists do, Mrs Frighthouse has an intense atmosphere at the core and that is elevated by the operatic vocals of Carys. ‘DIY Exorcism’ shows the range from epic to erratic and the vocal qualities are quite unlike anything I have experienced before. ‘Eyeliner’ has more of a focus on the heavier vocals of Luna and when they come together in album penultimate track ‘My Body is a Crime Scene’ the impact is staggering.

Solitude Over Control is as powerful as the title suggests. It is also a real battle. This isn’t something I can just put on and casually listen to, it is absorbing, piercing and haunting. With the title track closing the album Mrs Frighthouse crescendos to realisation that removal from control is the only solution even if that means an initial period of solitude. Having bumped into Mrs Frighthouse at many, many gigs (if they aren’t a support act they are always fervently supporting the best of the heavy scene) it’s clear that bold step of solitude has opened up a world of far more happiness and so too does the album. Whilst the stories told are horrific the survival to write about them shows that the shackles of control can be removed. Mrs Frighthouse has documented a monumental battle which actually has a happy ending.