These guys have returned after 8 years for a very legit stab at darkwave, that carries the creepy elegance other acts lack, along with a backbone of tense driving songs. There are a few different vocal colors in the first two songs along ranging from a higher, more emotive plea to the hushed urgency that carries the second song. "Scar" dances around your typical, more synth-centric dark wave middle ground. The vocal trade-off is what helps differentiate them. The song after this one, "Fire," also circles this sound.
It is not until they step on the gas to get your blood pumping with the faster "Run in the Dark" that the album really finds its pace. This gives their sound more aggression. Dark wave is not as aggressive as industrial, but that does not mean it just has to wander in its own hazy smoke machine. This is the point they prove here and maintain the momentum for " Far Away," which also employs a more intentional vocal, which is a keystone of good songwriting to be able to maneuver the genre tropes to create hooky songs. "Which is one of the pitfalls of the genre avoided by not settling on the vocals jsut being a texture.
There is a dance floor grinding pulse for "Nostalgia," though the synth reliance finds them basking in a more expected atmosphere, but they are saved by the more impassioned vocals that are more Robert Smith in their pout. Post-punk and dark wave bands take note: use different vocal colors over the course of your album, or it gets boring. These kinds of beats tend to drone, but the vocal dynamics kept my attention. The vocals shift to a more declarative narrative for " Dancing to the Noise". I am not asking bands to have a Jaz Coleman, just to keep switching it up and keep it interesting, whcih these guys are doing. The guitar that is present tends to do similar things, so this is another area where they could employ more dynamics. They also have never sounded like they are from Italy to me, but here we are.
"Living For the Sound" finds them drifting back into more familiar territory. There is a more noirish reverb to the guitar runs through " Angel Oscuro."The whispered vocals get the job done, but don't add a great deal of personality. There is a darker creep to "Choke" that makes it one of the album's better, more brooding songs while not holding back its sense of motion. Despite being darker, "Stars" falls into the more run-of-the-mill brand of dark wave. The vocal on the chorus is the only thing breaking it up. The last song works for what it is, but it is not as exciting or dynamic as what we have already heard from these guys. I will give this album a 9. It is a suitable comeback album that the rest of the genre could stand to take notes from.
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