OWLS : "Death Games"

 This Irish band is following the new path to dark wave , taken by other projects like Boy Harsher and TR/ST. Sometimes things take a slight detour on the dance floor, and the frantic mood of " Skin on Skin" feels more like lo-fi new wave, without the '80s radio aspirations. The synths are prominent, along with odd swathes of noisy effects as "Perfect Nightmare" comes to life. It locks in a hypnotic drone as the groove lulls you into an altered state. Where it parts ways with goth music from the 80s is that there is less of the melodrama dressing this up for Halloween. 

"Fevr 2" is certainly a song that could keep the dance floor churning during a goth nite in 2025. It feels like fewer organic elements are bringing the atmosphere together, and maybe this is where the line is drawn between cold wave and dark wave. The vocals, which have been a texture sitting back in the cavernous reverb, come more to the forefront for "Tombs". The drips with a ghostly ambiance as the more synth wave groove kicks in, all of the different elements come together in all the right places to make this the album's best track. 

"Send Me To My Grave" works off a much simpler pulse and supports the bleak croon of the vocals. The primary mood is darker with higher, more analog synths working as a lighter layer atop, then he uses whispered vocals that are mixed in a manner that makes them sound harsher. "Death & " finds the vocals fading further into the reverb swamp in the back of the mix. The other elements paint an odd sonic picture until the beat comes in. The vocals continue to moan about death and destruction. Things end in a more atmospheric manner for "This Must Be the End," which is more of an outro. I'll give this album a 9; it grooves really well and takes you to the needed shadowy alleys of the soul. Placing this project on solid footing as an act to watch in the future of dark music. This album drops June 6th on Negative Gain Productions. 

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