Gothtober- Vioflesh : "Nostalgia"

 

This duo from Chile released this album back in May, but just catching up with them. They call themselves modern darkwave, but are still steeped in the sounds of the late 80s, early 90s. I don't think anyone on the dancefloor would flinch if a DJ worked this into an old school goth set. The synth melodies hold the needed romantic longing. The female vocals ache into the reverb, though they give sparse melodic accents rather than unfurl a ton of lyrics on the verses. They understand how important atmosphere is, and give just enough form and function to the songs to call it songwriting. Some of the arrangements are very subtle, like the tempo change on the second song. 

To their credit, they do employ more dynamics than what you might have come to expect from aproject that runs off drum machines. Normally, we have just come to embrace the drone cutting through the smoke machines. There is that fee,l but it is shifting under the pulse. For the first two songs, it worked; they were able to lull me into their thrall, but three songs in, I am going to need more from them sonically, as this is normally where I begin to hit my threshold with bands like Boy Harsher. Their singers' breathy, moaning delivery leans them in this direction. By "Spring Nostalgia," the vocals are just a layer of sonic color, and everything hinges on the urgent intensity of the beat. 

"Feel Fake" has a little more upbeat feel to it, like it wants to cross over into a more optimistic form of indie pop. More organic synth wave sounds emerge with "Dreams." It is another song that is atmospheric but does not strike me as being as dark as what I want from goth. However, it works as a song, so I can't complain about that, even if it leans more heavily on 80s vibes.  "So Empty" has more traditional dark-wave vibes. "Your Absence" finds things getting darker and more elegant, but touching on some marginally new sounds in dark wave, just enough to be effective. Vocally, it's a little more droning, but forgivable. As far as what we have heard from the dark-wave revival of the past ten years, "Broken" feels pretty typical. 

The mood the vocals create on "Midnight" shows some effort on the melodies goes a long way, and it does not take a great deal to make me happy in this regard. "Inside" finds them beginning to shift from dark wave into synth wave, which is a final transition ironically on "Waves". They get back on the dark side with "Naked," though it does also give them more of a Boy Harsher sound. The pace picks up for the more intense "Heartbeat" to close the album. The vocals come more forward in the mix to create more of a Lord of Acid sound, though less 90s house. I will give this album a 9, as it is not redefining dark-wave; they balance traditional sound with what younger kids now think of as the genre. Not sure how much Ariplay it will get from me since I prefer darker, more guitar-oriented takes on the genre.  But respect this for what it is and recommend it to those looking for a fresh thump on the dancefloor. 

pst492