Not to be confused with the identically monikered Bruce Springsteen song, Martin Sheen movie or Californian hair metal band, Badlands is the name of a musical project by Swedish composer, producer and singer Catharina Jaunviksna.
Her 2021 album and elegy for her mother, Djinn, won much acclaim for her original “outlaw electronica”, appropriating elements of trip-hop and new wave into new shapes and sounds. Call to Love utilises vinyl samples, field recordings and analogue malfunctions and overdubs to create an interesting if not always riveting soundscape, consistent with the slightly lacklustre band name.
However, the lyrics are excellent. Any album that opens with the intriguing line “Holler holler misty mare/ Your actions won’t go nowhere” on a track titled My Time Will Come Again is worthy of further investigation.
Jaunviksna plays and sings just about everything, but Don’t Walk also features cello, double bass and backing vocals by Felisia Westberg. Highlights include some great songs such as Bury You Whole and the terrific parting glass I Want Blood.
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The opening line of the latter, “Jape won’t get you far”, could be a reference to Richie Egan from Crumlin, the dazzling force of musical nature behind The Red Manifesto and Jape, as Catharina spent a few years in Dublin collaborating with like-minded electronic musicians, where she also began working on this record. It is another beguiling introduction to an ominous sounding but haunting track, bringing a promising second album to a close.
