If you’ve been following PAN M 360 for a few years, you’re probably no stranger to Slash Need. This synth-punk powerhouse from Toronto creates music that feels like it exploded straight out of a grimy eurotrash bar or a BDSM dungeon bathed in strobing neon. Their live shows are absolutely unhinged—featuring lead vocalist Dusty Lee prowling the stage in latex, demonic Kabuki face paint, and a solo arm glove. They writhe across the ground or throw their body against a mesh screen held aloft by dancers Camille Jodoin-Eng and Tago Mago, while producer Alex Low—decked out in leather and flaming orange aviators—unleashes torrents of hypnotic dance-punk chaos. The dancers wear nylon pantyhose masks that channel the vengeful killers from the horror film The Strangers and sometimes jump into the crowd. Translating this maximalist, visceral live spectacle into a studio recording seemed nearly impossible, yet Slash Need has pulled it off brilliantly with their debut LP, SIT & GRIN.
The album delivers eight tracks, most featuring previously released bangers like “LEATHER,” “DOUBLE DARE,” and “MONEY”—an intoxicating post-hardcore cover of Fang’s “The Money Will Roll Right In.” It opens with a reimagined version of “BORDER TOWN,” which explodes with hypnotic synths and a vampiric cyberclub pulse. Whip cracks puncture the air, Low’s bass detonates, and Dusty Lee purrs “Border Town” in a menacing, throaty whisper. The vocals slide into a talk-sing cadence—think Dry Cleaning’s deadpan delivery, but infinitely darker and more sinister. Five minutes in, Dusty completely unravels, growling raw anguish: “I hate this body / I wanna leave.” These moments of unhinged intensity are what make me live for SIT & GRIN.
“COOL TOUCH” arrives as a newer track, opening with a percussive assault that sounds like a trash can being obliterated against pavement, before Dusty seduces you with their sandpaper vocals. The song then detonates into a truly terrifying club atmosphere, picture the blood-soaked rave sequence in Blade. SIT & GRIN doesn’t just capture the frenzied energy of a Slash Need live ceremony, but becomes it. If you’re discovering the group for the first time, prepare yourself for a nightmarish synth-punk ritual.
