Whoever Monica Hits the Ground is, was, will be and could be, their debut is flesh melting modern take on UK’ s vision of techno, and how it has progressed during the past twenty years. One cannot listen to this piece of vinyl and not immediately think of Surgeon, Regis, their joint collaborations, Makaton and the likes. That is, if this indeed is a debut. For all we could have in store for us, this could easily be a new Karl O’Connor effort. After all, he is credited as a remixer here, and the visual art is done by Juan Mendez, his partner in the now defunct Sandwell District imprint, and the current Jealous God label.If these are indeed the first steps he/she/they/we are making in the world of techno, then hats, toe nails and ears off to whoever apparently came out of nowhere and forged a four tracker as perforating as this one. We’ve all had our fair share of off-beat industrial madness, sinister drones and doomsday techno theatrics, but this one I could not let go by unnoticed. Reduced Life Expectancy 3 is the single best off beat onslaught I’ve heard in 2013. If you fancy the darkest strains of industrial techno, then Monica Hits The Ground should be a name fresh on your lips. This, apparently Italian act, brings a sound that would take Regis’ CUB moniker and give it a savage beating with brittle-boned tribal percussions, and subsequently burry it alive in a humid interstice of sonic quicksand.By no means is this record covering new grounds or breaking into new territory, but that is not the issue here. The point is that "Reduced Life Expectancy” breaks just about everything else, leaving nothing but a path of destruction, gothic atmospheres and uranium charged burned-out black metal-style apocalypse prophecies. The A side is particularly remorseless: the grit and the sound density is just amazing. The displacement of the usual rhythmic accent away from the stronger percussion elements onto weaker ones is flawless, but most impressive is the streak contradiction of stark, industrialism and more subdued, macabre ambient passages. The vast soundscapes of the lofty Reduced Life Expectancy 3 have not been outdone by anyone in 2013. It’s as though you took Donato Dozzy on a rainy day and shoved him in a studio with Regis who at the time was listening to the latest Vatican Shadow record. Tell them to do a track together, and this would come out. Brilliantly executed dark ambience interspersed with overburdened beats and noise passages only the head strong will appreciate.As mentioned above, if this indeed is a foray into rusty electronics, it’s a mighty statement of intent. The production vaults are set very high, and for a life-long BMB/Downwards follower like myself, there is simply nothing not to adore about this little masterpiece here. From the veil of mystery it is ensnared in, to the totally oppressive music and the gorgeously repulsive cover art, this is the breed of techno I just cannot gather the strength to resist. Add Karl O’Connor on the remix duties – unless it’s actually he who is behind this in the first place – and you have a win-win situation. This lands somewhere between Samuel Kerridge and Ugandan Speed Trials. If that is not a reference good enough, then I do not what is. To sum up this EP in just a few words, I’d go for something like: “I like pleasure spiked with pain”.