Kevin Bronson on November 5th, 2009

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By Viktor Phoenix

Comparisons to Nine Inch Nails are probably going to plague I Will Never Be the Same for a while, but let’s get real here: It’s not such an odd proposition that in 2009, 20 years after the release of “Pretty Hate Machine,” a talented and passionate songwriter such as Josh Atchley can turn out an album’s worth of dark pop songs infused with guitars and synths alone in his West Hollywood studio.

In 2008, Atchley, a producer of electronic music for the past 10 years, decided to take “time off producing other artists and remixes to do my own album … (one) that I could potentially turn into a touring band that would showcase my love of rock-based music,” he says. “I decided to try and start singing and writing lyrics, which was something I had never done before. After a year and a half of writing and experimenting, the end result was IWNBTS.”

• ||| Download: “Worldless”

Atchley’s debut album, “Standby,” released in March, reflects the influence of European electronic artists known for their songwriting and live shows – the likes of Depeche Mode, along with Him, Muse, IAMX and even Imogen Heap. The key element from the get-go for Atchley was to be able to perform the songs live, which makes perfect sense for someone who grew up spending summers working with his father’s concert laser company. Being the “only lucky 12-year-old working backstage, focusing mirrors, wrapping cables and such” clearly had an effect on him.

Technically speaking, the live setup for I Will Never Be The Same is complex (three laptops on stage, two keyboards, click tracks for the drummer, and vocoders), but it’s the band that Atchley assembled to present the album that is the critical factor.

“I was looking at these songs from a live standpoint from the moment I started writing them,“ explains Atchley, whose band enjoyed a strong residency at the Viper Room earlier this year. In the current (and still-evolving) lineup, which includes Francis Ten (of West Indian Girl) on bass, Taylor Haycraft on guitar, and Brittany Bao on keys, Atchley has found partners to actualize his dream. “When you start adding more of the human element and dynamics that go along with [performing live], the songs really come to life.”

||| Live: I Will Never Be the Same performs Friday at the Dakota Lounge in Santa Monica, and on Dec. 3 joins Dramarama to play the “Rock Around the Rink” show at Pershing Square’s Downtown on Ice.

Viktor Phoenix is an occasional contributor to Buzz Bands