Wesley is back with the second ep since 2011's "Cherish the Light Years " was released. Things have change since then and the dark wave dance anthems we found seven years ago on that full length have given way to something with a more stark outlook. The vocals feel darker and have more of a traditional goth croon. Musically it's also not as upbeat and dancey. This is fine with me. Lyrically the romance gone wrong theme is far from new, I think the dry bleak delivery is the strength of the song mood wise. The doubled up vocals grow more desperate on "Nothing is True But You", yet side from the droning synth grows more generic. Musically hings get happier with the peppy on the song "Glory". The beat reminds me of "Just Can't Get Enough" . It's the vocals that save this one for me and turn the mood around . Their is a depth of feeling in them. The melody is not unlike something Gary Numan might do, but delivered in a lower baritone with a brooding maturity that elevates beyond the average future pop.
The synths are darker in the pulse of "My Heart is Immortal". The vocals provide a more dystopian narrative . The futuristic movement of the beat falls somewhere between the 80s chic of "Stranger Things" and "Tron" or "Blade Runner". The sparse female vocals that double his voice are nice touches and the passing buzz of noise provides a swathe of abrasion. I have considered if this is just something he wanted to put out so he would have something to go on tour for, but the sound of these songs is a logical progression and keeps up with where this sort of thing is heading. I'll give this a 9. I don't think it's perfect as the drone keeps things dynamically flat in a very robotic sense. I think this is a success in terms of what they set out to do and how he is meeting the expectations of his fan base. So this is very consistent. I hope this doesn't mean I am going to be forced to wait another 7 years for new music from this project as they would lose me at that point point.
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