As the follow-up to the instant classic that was their debut single, ‘Never Say Forever’, we’ll just let this one speak for itself…
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Posts Tagged ‘Dark Pop’
Listen: ‘Black Sky’ by Mirror of Venus
Posted: 25 August 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPsTags: à La Carte Records, Black Sky, Dark Pop, electro, EP, goth, Mirror of Venus, single stream
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Watch: ‘Being Incompatible’ by Suburban Spell
Posted: 5 August 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPsTags: Being Incompatible, Dark Pop, Depeche Mode, Devo, electronica, Suburban Spell, video stream
Dark electronic artist, SUBURBAN SPELL has revealed the first single from their forthcoming album, Incompatible.
‘Being Incompatible’ is a driving, dark synthpop song about a relationship that has been built on mutual concessions and arriving at a point where one realizes they need to make a choice about its future.
Says SUBURBAN SPELL founder, Peter Endall, “I wanted to make a statement that continual compromising in a relationship can also have detrimental effects that can have far reaching consequences that can shape your entire personality, sometimes not always for the better.”
Society generally says relationships are about compromise, Be mindful not to lose yourself along the way. ‘Being Incompatible’ builds on a soundscape that echoes 80’s icons such as Devo and Depeche Mode.
Check it here:
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Metamorph – HEXPLAY
Posted: 14 July 2024 in Reviews, Singles and EPsTags: Dark Pop, electrop, EP, goth, Hex, HEXPLAY, Leæther Strip, Metamorph, Red Lokust, Remixes, SpankTheNun, synth, Third Realm
Distortion Productions – 5th July 2024
Christopher Nosnibor
Released to coincide with the start of their US tour to promote the album HEX, released in March, HEXPLAY offers up remixes of three tracks from the album, by artists including Leaether Strip and Red Lokust.
Remix albums and EPs do tend to be a bit of a mixed bag, and my cynical side says they’re an easy way of milking maximum product from the material an act has – and the fact that the Grendel remix of ‘Veridia’ already appeared as a bonus track on the digital version of HEX does little to dispel this notion with this release (the album contained seven new tracks including lead single ‘Witch Lit’ released the year before, expanded with three remixes, and there was previously a standalone Stabbing Westward remix of the title track).
There are two further mixes of ‘Veridia’ here. Of these, the Leaether Strip reworking which opens this set is the most radical, transforming the dark electrop of the original – which clocks in at just over two minutes – into a sprawling five-minute exploration of brooding esotericism, with a hint of Eurovision-friendly groove. Pushing the bass up in the mix, it’s darker and denser than the original, and adds new depths and dimensions. Placing it up front was a sound decision, as for my money, it’s the strongest track here.
In the hands of Third Realm, the contemplative mid-tempo ‘Raining Roses’ is transformed into a cinematic anthem, and it’s a triumphant reworking – not a huge stretch in terms of imagination, but it simply makes the song so much bigger.
SPANKTHENUN take ‘Witchlit’ in a darker, murkier direction, straddling stuttering techno and ambience. It’s quite a departure from the original, unexpectedly tense and claustrophobic, and if it lacks the magical, haunting nature of the original its quite brutal treatment is big on impact and shows the song in quite a different light.
The last couple of tracks are solid enough, but perhaps a shade predictable, and certainly lacking the impact or imagination of those which precede. This is what I mean when I say that remix releases are a mixed bag, but I’m equally aware that this is a question of taste, and some will likely prefer the versions I’m less enamoured with.
Here, the source material is strong, which definitely gives the remixers a head start, and while I’ll often find myself asking ‘why mess with perfection?’ credit is due on this occasion for offering versions which, if not improving on the originals, certainly bring something different and worthwhile.
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Mirror of Venus – Never Say Forever
Posted: 8 July 2024 in Reviews, Singles and EPsTags: à La Carte Records, Dark Pop, goth, Mirror of Venus, Never Say Forever, perfection, Post-Punk, Review, Single
à La Carte Records – 23rd June 2023
Christopher Nosnibor
Perfection is a thing so rare it’s practically mythological. And yet LA post-punk act appear to have achieved it with ‘Never Say Forever’. While reprints of their bio abound, evidence of a back catalogue or previous work is impossible to locate, so it does appear that this is their debut single, which makes it all the more remarkable.
‘Never Say Forever’ is pure vintage in every respect – stylistically, it captures the essence of 1981-85, and I have no shame in saying that I’m an absolute sucker for that era which saw post-punk give birth to goth and dark pop. Sonically, too, they’ve got it down. There’s a certain sound, something that comes not only from the production but from the equipment of the time. Technology was advancing apace – it was around this time that drum machines and synths became widely available – and while the last forty years have seen substantial further developments, I can’t help but feel that something has been lost. That crystal-clear digital fidelity we’ve become accustomed to lacks something, a certain soul, perhaps, but also the sonic haze that defined the sound of the early 80s was absolutely integral to the music itself, and while many contemporary acts have tried to emulate it, they’ve simply fallen short. Not so Mirror of Venus: ‘Never Say Forever’ sounds completely authentic, to the point that it sounds like an archive recording. How have they done it? I don’t know. Time travel, perhaps.
Promo and visuals have increasingly become key to success. People of a certain age, in particular – that would often be people my age (and above) – bemoan the advent of style over substance and how it’s all snazzy videos and shit now, while conveniently forgetting that this came to pass in the 80s. But of course, the difference between major-label 80s and independent acts 80s was immense, and this was perhaps the time when capitalism and money really changed the shape of things: the majors would chuck megabucks at the big acts, which led to the slickness and ubiquity of the like of Duran Duran (who I do happen to like) and the low-budget values of all of the bands who weren’t signed to the likes of EMI. The video which accompanies ‘Never Say Forever’ captures the vibe of the era, and how we view them now, also: once affecting slick but now looking faded, it’s a perfect recreation of the VHS era, the pre-digital age. And yes, when I say a ‘perfect’ recreation, I really do mean it.
Everything about ‘Never Say Forever’ feels like it’s been cracked out of a time capsule. But none of this counts for anything if the material isn’t up to scratch, and that’s where ‘Never Say Forever’ really shines. It’s crisp, it’s catchy, it’s moody, broody, hooky, and nothing short of sheer shimmering magnificence. In other words, perfect.
Will they ever match this moment again? One would hope so – of course. It makes you crave more, so much more. But whatever the future holds, with ‘Never Say Forever’, Mirror of Venus have achieved more than almost any band ever does. Perfection.
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Watch: ‘Inspired By Me’ by Principe Valiente
Posted: 13 April 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPsTags: Dark Pop, dream pop, goth, In This Light, Inspired By Me, Metropolis Records, Principe Valiente, Single, video stream
‘Inspired By Me’ is the second single to be taken from ‘In This Light’, the forthcoming fifth album by Swedish dark-pop act Principe Valiente. Marking a bold evolution in the group’s decade-plus journey, ten meticulously crafted new songs lay bare the signature ethereal soundscapes and dreamy ambient allure that initially propelled them onto the alternative scene with the release of their self-titled 2011 debut album.
’In This Light’ is a symphony of mellotrons, samplers and analog synths harmonising with the celestial resonance of Rickenbacker 12-string and Gretsch guitars played by Jimmy Ottosson, further enriched by melodic piano and distinctively distorted driving bass all enveloped in the enigmatic voice of singer Fernando Honorato.
‘Inspired By Me’ follows the new album’s introductory single, ‘Something New’, which signalled a shift in direction for the current duo line-up with its dream-pop approach.
Watch the video here:
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Watch: ‘Up My Sleeve’ by Erika Angell
Posted: 14 February 2024 in Recommended Streams and Videos, Singles and EPsTags: Constellation, Dark Pop, Emergency, Erika Angell, Experimental, Single, The Obsession With Her Voice, Up My Sleeve, video stream
“This song describes a state of emergency. When the concentration and focus that an urgent situation demands, completely overruns and obliterates the concept of time. An hour becomes a few seconds, or the other way around – the usual routes of communication fall flat to the ground and become unnecessary. Somehow there is this telepathic understanding of what has to be done. The image is a large field of withered grass standing in roaring flames, with a handful of people desperately trying to put the fire out” – Erika Angell
Her debut album The Obsession With Her Voice is out 8th March 2024.
Check ‘Up My Sleeve’ here:
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Photographic artist: Tim Georgeson
John X Belmonte – Under the Stars of Andromeda
Posted: 26 December 2023 in Reviews, Singles and EPsTags: Atmospheric, Dark Pop, Deoeche Mode, electro, electrogith, John X Belmonte, Single Review, synthpop, theatrical, trance, Under the Stars of Andromeda
18th November 2023
Christopher Nosnibor
As my sweep-up of singles released a few weeks back but still in the later stages of 2023 continues, we come to John X Belmonte’s ‘Under the Stars of Andromeda’. The New Yorker has been slipping out slabs of dark alternative pop since 2020, and has maintained a fairly steady output these last three years. Citing David Bowie, Depeche Mode and Kate Bush as influences, he promises ‘Haunting atmospheres, beautiful melodies, driving rhythms, and rich sonorous vocals [which] draw the listener into his musical dream world.’
With perhaps the exception of Depeche Mode from Black Celebration and later, these touchstones don’t really convey just how gothy Belmonte’s work is. ‘Under the Stars of Andromeda’ is a dark, stark electro cut that pulsates and has all the ingredients of the kind of electrogoth which started coming through in the mid 90s. There are chilly layers of synth which drift and hang like a freezing fog to conjure murky atmosphere, and as the track evolves, it feels that we’ve left earth and are being carried through clouds of dust particles, floating free of any gravitational pull, and a thumping techno beat cuts in and takes things stratospheric.
It’s the vocal which really defines the sound, and the genre leanings, too: Belmonte’s baritone croon is theatrical, taking obvious cues from Andrew Eldritch and Peter Murphy, and it’s subject to heavy processing and compression, meaning that while it sits tightly within, rather than above the music, in terms of not only mix but tonal range, it feels detached, dehumanised. It’s effective, in that it sounds menacing, and sends a shiver down your spine, as you wonder just what he has in mind when he says ‘we’ll find a better place.’
The synth sounds may be trancey and expansive, but clocking in at four minutes, ‘Under the Stars of Andromeda’ is neat and compact, structurally, and the production is faultless.
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Watch: ‘Obelisk’ by Brittany Bindrim
Posted: 8 December 2023 in Recommended Streams and VideosTags: Brittany Bindrim, Dark Pop, electro, I:Scintilla, Metropolis Records, Obelisk, synthpop, Technoindustrial, video stream
Chicago-based electronic pop artist Brittany Bindrim has released her debut single, ‘Obelisk’, today on Metropolis Records, accompanied by a beautiful yet dystopian video directed by Simona Noreik. Known for her catchy melodies and powerhouse vocal performances in the post-industrial rock band I:Scintilla, Bindrim now ventures into foreign sonic terrain as a solo artist with this hard-hitting, edgy song packed with punishing beats and harsh synthesisers.
This new chapter of Bindrim’s career takes her into experimental territory along with producer Matt McJunkins (A Perfect Circle, Puscifer, Eagles of Death Metal, Poppy). While the lyric for ‘Obelisk’ explores themes of tribalism, political divides, collective trauma and a surrendering to peace, Bindrim states that its music “is an interplay between the words and harder-edged, percussive musical elements. The heavier drums and the main driving bass synth line were written first, which then inspired a pleading vocal melody. I had previously written a lyrical seedling that was close to what ended up in the chorus lines, which I thought fit perfectly and helped spawn the rest of the lyric in conjunction with the harder, marching energy of the music.”
‘Obelisk’ is included on an album entitled ‘Velella Velella’ that is set for release on 8th March 2024. “The songwriting process for every song was a little different, but I didn’t try to force ideas or overthink things,” she continues. “Each song developed very naturally and instinctively."
From moody, ethereal ballads to gritty dance bangers, ‘Velella Velella’ showcases both the versatility and evolution of Bindrim’s work. Channelling transformation, sociopolitical climates and explorations to understand the darker side of human nature, her vulnerable and unapologetic lyrics showcase themes of self-discovery, empathy, apathy, disillusionment and growth.
Watch the video for ‘Obelisk’ here:
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Watch: ‘Fearmonger’ by Darkplace
Posted: 21 May 2023 in Recommended Streams and VideosTags: About The End Of The World, animation, bleak, Dark Pop, Darkplace, Fearmonger, Icons Creating Evil Art, instrumental, Post Rock, Stockholm, video stream
Darkplace is a mysterious new Swedish dark dream pop/post-punk group who created a conceptual debut album inspired by the bleak landscape of the Stockholm suburbs that birthed them.
Centred around an alternative reality – or just the grim present and future? – and entitled About The End Of The World, the album is being unveiled gradually over the coming months via a series of imaginative visuals based on animated digital paintings for each of its eleven tracks.
Having recently released ‘Arken över Hesselby’ (The Ark Over Hesselby), the video for which presented the outskirts of a city haunted by an unknown aerial presence, the clip for brand new single ’Fearmonger’ takes us into the heart of that city, presenting an apocalyptic scenario as ominous sirens wail and a lone soldier flees the prying ‘eye in the sky’ of an airship.
The Swedish national alarm system is still tested on a quarterly basis by the army. A familiar sound to all Swedes, the sound of the siren has the nickname ‘Hesa Fredrik’. Darkplace state: “After trying to improve Hesa Fredrik, the government learned that the new horns scared the shit out of people.”
Although rooted in late 80s/early 90s indie styles, Darkplace incorporate a variety of other genres into their sound. However, for the members of this highly secretive group, it is not just about the music. They perceive themselves as more an art project that happens to be exploring and commenting on the state of the world through their chosen mediums of music and video.
Most of the short instrumental pieces on the forthcoming album were written with specific storyboards in mind, with the band revealing that “we started creating the art before we had the music for both singles to date, so the tracks were written as soundtracks to the animation.”
The art itself is a multi-layered process that involves photography, sculpting, oil painting, digital editing and animation. Using apps like Nomad Sculpt to create it before exporting scene specific angles and imported into Procreate to be painted, they add: “we use oil paintbrushes and paint over the photo. It is layers upon layers and it gets messy. Exporting gets even messier since we want depth in the scenes and need to export them in layered depths. A few scenes in this project have been animated frame by frame and it has taken almost two years to complete.”
Watch ‘Fearmonger’ here:
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Listen: ‘Time’ by Magic Wands
Posted: 2 May 2023 in Recommended Streams and VideosTags: Atmospheric, Dark Pop, goth, Jesus & Mary Chain, Magic Wands, Metropolis Records, Radiohead, Slowdive, Switch, The Horrors, Time, track stream
Magic Wands is a US dark pop outfit originally formed in Nashville by guitarists & vocalists Chris and Dexy Valentine, but now based in Los Angeles where they have been joined by drummer Pablo Amador. Their name stems from the gift of a wand from Chris to Dexy when they first started making music together while still living on opposite sides of the country.
The group have released three albums over the last decade on which they have refined a shimmering and cosmic dream-pop sound that incorporates elements of shoegaze, post-punk and goth. Textured guitars, droning synths and delicate, ethereal vocals combine to create an otherworldly atmosphere.
Armed with songs that have often been praised on both sides of the Atlantic for their euphoric quality, especially in live performance, the trio themselves have remained dedicated to creating music that is both imaginative and emotionally engaging. They have developed a loyal fanbase drawn to their ability to create a sense of mysticism and wonder through their music.
Magic Wands have shared stages with the likes of Radiohead, Slowdive, Jesus & Mary Chain, The Horrors, Deerhunter, The Kills and The Black Keys. They also played their own headlining tours of the UK and mainland Europe in 2017-18.
Having released a single in late March entitled ‘Joy’, the group have now followed it with ‘Time’. Complemented with a pair of remixes apiece, both are also included on Switch, a brand new album set for release on 12th May by Metropolis Records.
Listen to ‘Time’ here:
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Aural Aggravation 