8/10

SINK has never been one for clean edges. The London artist's debut album 'Flaw State' is a masterclass in controlled chaos, where fragile electronics and industrial weight collide in ways that shouldn't work but absolutely do.

Following singles 'Shallow' and 'Blemish', this full-length statement builds a world where beauty and brutality share the same breath. It's dark electronica with a beating heart, unafraid to show its scars while reaching for something transcendent.

Opening track 'Bruise' sets the tone immediately—delicate melodies wrapped in gritty textures, like finding poetry in broken glass. It's the perfect thesis for what follows: nine tracks that find deep meaning in damaged spaces. The Nine Inch Nails influence runs deep here, not in obvious pastiche but in SINK's understanding that tension and release can coexist in the same breath. Standout 'Pointless' showcases SINK's distinctive vocals emerging from industrial cocoons, wrapping vulnerability in electronic armour with the kind of intimacy that feels stolen rather than given.

The album benefits enormously from its collaborators. Additional production from Rival Consoles adds crucial depth, while Siobhán McCafferty's violin and Robert Murray Jamieson's bass clarinet provide organic warmth against the digital framework. The mixing work by Alex O'Donovan and Cristiano Nicolini ensures every bruised melody hits exactly where it should.

'Flaw State' drifts between stripped confessionals and expansive soundscapes, creating constant movement that mirrors the messy reality of processing trauma. By the time closer 'Good Die Young' arrives, you realise this isn't just an album—it's a weary journey toward acceptance, finding grace in the spaces between horror and beauty.

SINK has crafted something genuinely affecting here: electronic music that dares to be human, messy, and ultimately transcendent. In a landscape often obsessed with pristine surfaces, 'Flaw State' embraces the cracks where the light gets in.

Stream the full LP below