“Salt Water” is deceptively complex in its simplicity. Opening with euro-tinged Strokes chords and the ambience of a subway, a voice asks “Uh one more time?”—foreshadowing that you are going to re-listen—then immediately recites a prayer to Mother Mary in Russian. It stumbles into place with carefree composition, quickly gelling into a track to angry-walk past strangers to. 

A le Tigre-style rhythm section is joined by an uncompromising guitar that circles a weeping melody throughout the track. Evanorah:Unlimited & Taraneh’s production hits a timeless sweet spot. This could have been ‘84, ‘98, or 2012, but it’s 2024. The vocals are sometimes peaky, with pops and sibilance, but it doesn’t matter; this was the right take and has the right feel. 

The theatrical interplay of yelpy, anthemic vocals and dramatic, smoky whispering is reminiscent of The Unicorns at their best. “Salt Water” transcends a simple eloctropunk smoker through its subtle sound design. Echo-y voices and textures feel like listening to the Sex Pistols in a train station when you are uncertain if you’re coming up or down. It’s never overdone or over-polished. This track just works. Keep an eye out for the upcoming Evanorah:Unlimited album Perfect Answer coming out on February 22.