Staytus’ latest seductive sonic onslaught is one of pure scathing scintillation. Even if Combichrist remixed a PJ Harvey track that gave way to one of the darkest impulses written into the human condition, it wouldn’t come close to How to Be a Serial Killer. Caustic snares and a relentlessly pulsative energy amplify the scorn in the vocals that hammer home what we can be driven to by people who push us to the edge, invoking the version of ourselves that salivates for rage-fuelled bloodlust within a macabre, mechanical and murky atmosphere.
It isn’t your ordinary offering of sonic catharsis, but for anyone who finds sanctity through vicarious sonic fantasy, there’s no one better to turn to than Staytus, the ultimate siren of a femme fatale who embodies vengeful glamour without ever flirting with cliché.
With scintillating production from Matt McJunkins at Secret Hand Studios, the industrial textures meet nu-metal volatility head-on, translating psychological unravelling into performance and noise. There’s venom in every syllable, precision in every drop, and a raw cinematic ferocity that lingers under the skin long after the final distortion burns out.
How to Be a Serial Killer is the final release in Staytus’ Twisted Frames series, a cinematic, visceral exploration of chaos, catharsis and fractured identity. Inspired by the cult horror-comedy it shares its name with, it holds a mirror up to inner madness without sanitising a single inch of the reflection. Staytus doesn’t hold anything back — and why should she?
How to Be a Serial Killer is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
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