This morning I perused the line-ups of this year's " goth festivals," and while I can understand the old school headliners like Frontline Assembly, what I do not get is the younger artists they book who do not have current albums they are touring in support of. It seems like a waste when other artists could use the exposure and are working harder to grind away at their songwriting craft. One of these would be that this British duo is crafting some emotive electro pop with call and response vocal lines that recall some of the more moody moments in 80s pop. The first song is a banger, so that sets expectations high for the remainder of the album.
Where the first song flirted more with new wave. The songs that follow are more like atmospheric techno. The female vocals become more of the dominant narrative of the songs. She shifts through a range of emotions in her presentation, so this works. "The Dark Forest" is more of a synth interlude that blankets you in immersive ambiance. It's counterpoint "the Light Forest". It is more of a grooving synth wave pop hybrid. It grooves in a manner that brings Underworld to mind with more of a pulse than a black rocking beat.
"Suli Nan Diathan" is a swathe of synth ambiance that is ghostly and minimal. It materializes into an actual song around the two-minute mark. There is some dynamic ebb and flow, but it feels more like an interlude to me. "Animus" uses more of a vocal interplay that offers a similar dynamic to what they did on the opening track. The beat is possessed by a little more drive here. "Resonance Factor" closes the album. It goes back into more of an atmospheric techno mode of songwriting with the vocals taking on a brighter tone. I will give this album a 9.5, as I enjoyed it , would not call this darkwave, but it recalls the electronic acts of the 90s who are adjacent enough to keep my interest.Much more song focused than the festival brand of EDM.
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