That's Harakiri


That's Harakiri is the only studio album by American electronic music producer Peter Runge under the pseudonym Sd Laika. It was released on April 28, 2014, through Tri Angle. It received generally favorable reviews from critics.

Background

Sd Laika released his debut EP, Unknown Vectors, in 2012 through Lost Codes. He then signed to Tri Angle. That's Harakiri was recorded in 2011 and 2012. The album cover comes from Shūji Terayama's short film The Cage.

Critical reception

That's Harakiri landed in the top 40 of the year-end lists of best albums by Crack and Fact. These magazines plus other sources spotlighted the blends of menacing, gracious, and humorous tones, with Crack praising its mixture of a dark grime style with "heavily-grooved, twisted melodies that are at times arresting and at others wistful and longing."
Adam Bychawski of The Quietus commented that "There are two psychological conditions in particular which grime evokes, paranoia and claustrophobia, both of which are deeply embedded within these tracks." Joe Zadeh of Clash stated, "Throughout the album, he takes a dark, fast-paced and aggressive grime framework and expropriates it for his own brand of bastard brain-dance." He added, "His music marries complexity with club-ready thump, resulting in a dystopian dancehall of morbid booty shaking."

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.