Establishing the mood with textured, airy percussion, expanding with a dark-wave and dimensional soundscape featuring atmospheric vocals, Reduction in Force opens Reconcile with cinematic intrigue.
The opus evolves with poetic prowess and metaphorical depth as we are taken on a cerebral journey of interpersonal reckoning. We appreciate the dynamism of the track, the guitar performances are exquisite, whilst the philosophical and high concept prose taps into relatable themes.
We could imagine Reconcile being featured as a sync placement in a film like Limitless, Enter The Void, or perhaps a TV episode of something more psychedelic like Nine Perfect Strangers. It is no surprise that listeners describe Reduction in Force‘s visceral energy as “Roger Waters‘ voice in the body of Trent Reznor evoking the post punk energy of early Killers.”
Reduction in Force cites musical influences including Ian Curtis of Joy Division, The Edge of U2, Michael Hutchence of INXS, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, and the members of Depeche Mode – Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher, and Alan Wilder.
We can absolutely feel this manifest on Reconcile, although it is also clear that Mike Mills, the artist behind Reduction in Force, is creating a vision of his own design.
We learn that Reduction in Force is Mike’s solo project. He turned to songwriting after ending a 25-year legal career, and works closely with Alex Aldi on production! Needless to say, we are in awe, and have added Reconcile to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Reduction in Force, including World Full of Echoes, Images of Heaven, and We Run.