ADULT. is not cooperating. For over 25 years, the dystopian Detroit synth-punk institution founded by Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller has embodied steadfast frustration, distrust, and apprehension. One might expect the edges to soften with time, but ADULT. is not interested in the comforts of legacy. The duo’s music has never sounded as visceral, urgent, and downright angry as it does on the culminating, uncompromising Kissing Luck Goodbye, their scorched-earth 10th LP and fourth with Dias Records. Built with upgraded gear and a whole new library of sounds, the material is crushingly dynamic, louder yet clearer, with Kuperus’ commanding delivery given greater prominence in the mix, outlining an arsenal of vivid, caustic calls, chants, and musings. Laughter, whether in the lyrics or as a possessed presence, serves as a leitmotif that speaks to the menacing absurdity of modern times. “THE CHAOS IS WHAT THEY WANT,” she sings on “R U 4 $ale”, doubling as a declaration of intent: to meet a burning world of greed and disarray with defiant, masterfully assembled chaos. “You have two choices in this hellscape we're living in right now, which is either fight or be depressed,” says Miller. “Either one is okay. But, you know, the choice was simple.”