Gvllow : "Twin Flames"

 

He might be more well known for his work with sad boi hip-hop, but Gvllow is doing a pretty convincing job of working pop sensibilities in with post-punk. The first two songs owe as much to the Cure and Drab Majesty as it does to pop punk. It's catchy, with morose vocals that are more pop-inflected than say AFI's turn to similar moodiness. This is not as guitar-driven, though there are guitars present. It is mixed like a pop album in how the vocals sit at the forefront. There is more of a hazy Drab Majesty feel to the song "Forever in My Mind". The California vibes of a band like the Drums can also be heard in how this coasts along in the sunset. 

The drum programming is thin, and the bass is relegated back in the mix, so there is very little in the way of balls to the overall sound, but it works in a soundtrack to a horror movie for teenagers kind of way. "Say Goodbye" is the first song that does not resonate as strongly with me, but it might need time to grow on me. it is still relatively as effective. "Die By Your Hand" tries to work off the same formula that propelled the previous song but it feels like they are going to the well too many times. "Last Dance" is more effective in its groove and the sounds that are gathered together to create it. The reverbed-out guitar tone is one of the best elements here.

There are just as many moments that are infused with retro romancing of 80s pop as there are moments that might be called goth. "Other Side" is one of the most prominent infatuations of the 80s.In fact, I am not sure he is old enough to have been alive in the 80s. Sometimes he just drones on a theme and lets the repetition have its way with the song. However, it is less than tedious as the songs rarely break the three-minute mark. He is on the more legit side of post-punk with "Fell in Love With a Ghost". The vocals follow a more Ian Curtis cadence though it feels by way of She Wants Revenge. The outro that closes the album out is dark enough, and I would have liked to have heard some of these darker sounds more prominent in the songs. I will give this album a 9 and see if it grows on me, but it is a great deal of fun as it is.Dropping on Sumerian Records.  

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