- Long time coming doesn’t begin to cover Kirin J. Callinan’s full-length debut Embracism. An advance taste of the album, single Way II War slithered our way more than a year ago. It slapped darkwave synths and electro beats over gothic guitar chords for a breathless and fearsome synth anthem: a good start.

Four months later it mutated into the instrumental WIIW (Turkish Poison Opening Credits), whatever that's all about. Equally fierce, I should probably be more disappointed that it didn’t make it in the final cut, but we have plenty of other things to talk about.

Title track Embracism emerged next. A brutal satire of masculinity which is taken to hilariously but still savagely homoerotic lengths: synths shoot for the sky, shrieking wildly as Callinan rasps out lines like: “A man can meet another man at a bar / On the sports field / At his place of work / Or on the internet, RIGHT NOW!” I guess it won’t be a very romantic meeting: “It’s hard to believe in love / How do you measure love? / But you can trust your body / Push-rip-taste-touch / Work your body!”

I thought I was getting a handle on what an album from Kirin J. Callinan would mean, before the inspirational power-anthem Love Delay emerged. Still a bit wild-eyed, it was nonetheless eye-poppingly unexpected. Then there was Victoria M: an unashamed new-wave love anthem. It gets less sugary, more creepy and broken as you listen closer and hear Kirin whisper about secrets that he’ll never tell; it may also be about the state of Victoria...I’m not sure I understand, but whatever: unexpected stylistic left-turns, cryptic lyrics, I’m enjoying it all.

It’s a rule of album promotion that you must always leave something more exciting than what you have heretofore released, till last. Having heard roughly half the album in advance singles, I was wondering if such a thing would be possible. Despite my faithlessness I was yet rewarded when I hit play on the album proper. Power-synths lift up opener Halo, and it has not yet failed to make my spine quiver, every time I hear it. The title is proclaimed in loud echoes, much like the anti-heroic mission of this record: mire yourself in any kind of existential horror, fill yourself with moral turpitude and embrace physical corruption ...then forget about it. Walk away clean. It’s like the Brett Easton Ellis American Psycho Band.

Which is pretty appropriate really: Callinan goes on to cover, hungrily, jingoistic US nationalism (Come On USA, girded appropriately with stentorian brass chords ) and at least two murder ballads: the equally eerie Scraps and Chardonnay Sean, both of which sleaze their way out of some kind of vehicular manslaughter.

There’s more: masturbation and being buried alive at the very least, but sometimes the best way to discover these things, is by yourself. Don’t worry, if you ever feel alone, Kirin will be there to envelop you in his embrace, that’s what he’s all about.

- Chris Cobcroft.