This is a huge difference compared to “Cross,” which was a darker, grittier and more visceral approach to electronic music. The first track of the album, “Horsepower,” opens with the huge chord progressions that Justice is known for but quickly changes mood into a heavy guitar lead with synthesizer backing, bringing a feeling of ’70s power rock and disco.
While there are electronic styles and instruments present in the songs, they are much less prominent, showing Justice progressing from heavy electronic into a more rock oriented group.
This new style shows how Justice is growing as a musical group, allowing for dynamics and intense theme and variation changes. Compared to the first albums lack of dynamics, this will allow for greater variety in their live sets.
The music has overtones throughout the album that suggest the end of the world, with familiar driving bass lines and chord progressions. The second and third tracks of the album, “Civilization” and “Ohio” bring vocals into the equation.
In “Civilization,” the end of the world is expressly stated with heavy driving drums and bass and vocals stating “Ears to the ground by the name of the merciless guide (sky) / Onto the fire that burns in the all seeing eye.” Ohio brings imagery of monks chanting “Reign on” in long vocalizations over a ’70s disco bass line, which then transitions into heavy synthesizers with chord hits along the way.
Other notable songs on the album are “On’n’on,” “Helix” and “Audio, Video, Disco.” The first track mentioned discusses how time marches on despite what humans do, with the lyrics such as “That which was burning the ground/ will someday come back around / from dust to dust it goes on’n’on.”
Also the first verse of the song is also the last verse in the song, fitting the theme of the song that history and time repeats itself. “Helix” is the track most reminiscent of Justice’s first album “Cross”, reintroducing their famous synthesizer cuts where small samples of sounds are captured and then stitched together to make a cohesive track. “Audio, Video, Disco” finishes out the album at an astounding 320 beats per minute.
With long, drawn out chords and the repetition of “Audio, Video, Disco” over and over, it finishes the album in a somber setting much like the first album by using heavy piano and deep, dark bass lines. The Latin meaning of the album translates to “I hear, I see, I learn” which is fitting for Justice’s sophomore album.
By branching out into a new style, the tracks are catchy and guaranteed to get the blood pumping and feet dancing, which is a welcome and invited change to the French duo’s Progressive House music.
