Boys Noize

Oi Oi Oi

[3.5/5]

For decades now, enterprising musicians have been trying to find ways to make the synthesizer head-bangable. But perhaps not since the Prodigy were in their mid-’90s heyday has anyone made it rock like German producer Alex Ridha. His formula, under the nom de pop Boyz Noize, is brutally elegant in its simplicity: Stomping, four-on-the-floor electrobeats brought writhing to life by wickedly distorted synth riffs. The leadoff single “& Down” is almost orchestral in its frontal assault, but Boyz Noize are even better when things are more basic. “Let’s Buy Happiness” and “Superfresh” essentially make Boyz Noize a cyborg cousin to AC/DC, reducing things to primal bash and buzz. More than an hour of it will make your ears bleed, but Oi Oi Oi is worth the bandages you’ll need afterward. (TURBO/LAST GANG; lastgangrecords.com) Dan LeRoy