The dark electronic pop Australian duo HTRK, once described brilliantly as sounding like ‘Sade in prison’ return with their fourth album, Venus in Leo a slow, louche blur with chinks of warm sun peeking through the shadows. Ahead of their set at Atonal in Berlin this week, we caught up with the duo to talk about being drawn to toxic people, a new body oil for merch and moving away from drama.
The latest instalment of Jen Calleja's Verfreundungseffekt column puts into play a game of Chinese Whispers on a poem by Sam Riviere — with help from Chrissy Williams, Laura Tenschert, Livia Franchini and Jack Underwood — considering the value and the possibilities of translating a translation, flipping Walter Benjamin the bird in the process. (Illustration by Richard Phœnix)