Perfect Outfit’s “Hear the Message” is an abrasive blast of turbulent industrial pop

Blistering synths instantly disorient the ears once “Hear the Message” begins. Riley emerges towering, with a speak-singing cadence like The Fall’s Mark E. Smith, while a tangible, rhythmic groove quickly reveals itself. His observational fragments ground the warped atmosphere as something weirdly poetic and assuring, remarkable given its short length. “I’m someone who looks for a lot of patterns to explain the world and myself. When I don’t see those patterns resolve themselves, I get into a little bit of a spiral,” Riley explains. “I wanted to explore how that relates to real life, in the disconnect between what’s going on in your head and what you see.” When “Hear the Message” finally gains momentum, it turns out it was never disorienting in the first place: Riley finds grace in himself and how his brain works within the off-kilter haze. “An observer is something I’ve always felt comfortable being.” The scorching tune is one of six restless electro-belters on Riley’s debut EP, Walking Home, out 23 October. Each is like the Pet Shop Boys’ earnest songwriting contorted by Nine Inch Nails’ pummelling sound. This music treads new territory compared to Ribbon Skirt’s conscious indie ...