On “Embracism”, Australian Kirin J Callinan makes an indelible introduction with a song about, fittingly, what it takes to make an impression. In the world described here, “Do you measure up? Or do you still have work to do?” is the only question that really matters for a man in order to prove he can trust his “physical body” when all else fails in an increasingly cerebral and service-based society. It's a mentally provocative song about physical provocation, but Calinnin puts himself right in the middle of it; he's a feral vocalist taking after Patrick Wolf or Nick Cave, hyper-masculine but also unhinged to the point where you can sense he's been damaged by it. “Embracism” is a left hook to the face that doesn't want to be liked so much as it needs to leave a mark.
