“DANCING ON THE EDGE OF A KNIFE” WITH CONTROL I’M HERE + BLOOD HANDSOME

 

“Where do I go when the music ends?”

— "SHAME"

WRITTEN BY RTM (@RYANTHOMASMITCHELL)

June 25th marks the release of Dancing on the Edge of a Knife, an exciting new EP from Hush Club’s Control I’m Here and Blood Handsome. The titular song is a spooky, hypnotic, and undeniably danceable track that blends the best of both artists: Blood Handsome lends his distinctly deep voice, which feels right at home in the brooding landscape of post-punk acts like Joy Division. Meanwhile, Control I’m Here blends his crunchy industrial mania with bright, light-as-air synths. It’s a combination that’s instantly satisfying and wholly unique — not quite like anything else that’s come to Darkness Calling thus far.

 

The EP also offers a companion track — “Shame” — which is somehow less and more accessible. The vocal delivery here is stylishly monotonous and harder to discern, though no less compelling. While some listeners may find the verses puzzling, there’s no denying the catchiness of the track’s simple but effective chorus:

“Shame
Shame on you
Shame on me
Shame on us”

A flurry of drum machine loops and programmed synths carry you the rest of the way down this mad spiral of a song.

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These two tracks are strong enough to stand on their own, but CIH x BH have also packaged this release with a pair of stunning remixes from Jackson VanHorn and Ex-Hyena. While it’s rare for any remix to outshine the original song, both VanHorn and Ex-Hyena have done an admirable job at re-imagining the sonic palette given to them and creating something satisfying and unique from its parts.

Ex-Hyena’s take on “Dancing on the Edge of the Knife” is longer and more bizarre than the original, and manages to incorporate some pleasing new vocal parts from the Boston duo. Meanwhile, Jackson VanHorn goes the other direction, shortening “Shame” to a four-minute version that’s more hyperactive but incredibly fun to listen to. 

 

This distinctive four-track EP would not have been possible without the chance encounter of Control I’m Here and Blood Handsome, which took place roughly four years ago, when BH opened for Skeleton Hands. CIH was in the audience that night, and he was unable to shake Blood Handsome’s set from his mind. When they found themselves booked together on another show, the pair instantly hit it off and began a friendship that would last to this day.

Despite a move to L.A. and vigorous work on his album Rituals, BH stayed in touch with CIH, and the pair eventually played some shows together in 2020 alongside artists like Scary Black, Bedroom Wounds, and Glyphics (Skeleton Hands solo project).

 

Despite all this history, Dancing on the Edge of a Knife is the first release by BH x CIH, and it’s one that was helped — in part — by the extra time afforded the artists by quarantine.

Looking back on the pandemic, CIH has “mixed feelings,” he says. “On the one hand, we had time to plan the label [Hush Club] and organize. On the other hand, we had to cancel plans for an even bigger tour in 2020.”

The silver lining? “Overall, it made us really think about what we wanted to accomplish.” Enter CIH x BH with Dancing on the Edge of a Knife.