After his solo-kitsch-outbursts, Mark von Hoen has found his way out of the dull sugar icing and has turned to his alter ego Locust for the first time in 12 years. But what is to be expected from a project that has existed throughout the blooming period of ambient and IDM? That has added to this era by four records and now unexpectedly re-joins the musical world in 2013? First and foremost we expect an album that takes its time, that doesn’t have to live up to any expectations, but instead wants to come up with something unique and beautiful without having to pay tribute to a time-stamp or a demand for being up-to-date. On the other hand, one has to expect a record that has to remain a merely referential piece of work due to the absence of any contemporarity. Locust sticks to the 1990s, even though he’s now backed up by the new man Louis Sherman. By the piano keys of Boards Of Canada ebbing away in reverbs. The vocal-driven ambient of Banco De Gaia. The reverberant drum-kits and traces of dub of Seefeel. The lethargic beats of Push Button Objects. All of them are there – happy and without a care in the world. Hence, »You’ll Be Safe Again« comes along as a retro-record, which almost makes it tacky again in this context. Still, the 13 tracks manage to remain above kitsch-level. Sophisticated song writing and original sound-designs make this album merge into a dreamy beauty, into a kind of warmth that hasn’t felt this homey in a long time. This way, retro turns from kitsch into nostalgia.
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