The project of Alex Zhang Hungtai, Dirty Beaches embraces a lo-fi sound that has undercurrents of retro-breezy surf pop all locked in the trenches of minimalist industrial grime. His debut, Badlands, is eerie and evocative, painting monochromatic pictures of dark alleys, desolate open roads and seedy underground nightclubs from a past lifetime; the films of David Lynch are a palpable inspiration. Hungtai's epileptic yelps and detached mumblings hint at the King of Rock 'n' Roll, while his allusions to roads, cars and horses share the rebellious mystique of biker movies and spaghetti westerns.