It is time to get dark, my friends. I’ve been hankering for a darksynth album for a while now, surrounded as I am by (excellent) chromatic and bright electronic albums these past few weeks (Savant, City Girl, Luo and more). Enter Deadlife and his excellent City of Eternal Rain, releasing tomorrow, and its city-drenched, future-forward tones and textures. Like all good darksynth albums, City of Eternal Rain is driven first and foremost by a solid, constant, and engrossing beat. It is the listener’s first leg on the journey they are set to embark and Deadlife knows this very well; the album is chock full of those breakneck tempos that make darksynth work. Around that is built a tower of modulations, tones, and synth heavy compositions, painting in the cyberpunk world you’d expect here. Head on down below to start exploring that world for yourself!
There’s honestly so much I’d like to highlight here but I have to give pride of place to the sleek “We Are One & The Same”. Its clever synth touches, mostly present in the tantalising tracks which lie “behind” the main synth line, are what really hooked me on this album and got me listening intently. Don’t get me wrong, that main line rules; its neon-lit aesthetics is compelling and danceable. But it’s those little touches all around the verses that first made me realize there’s something more at play here, a clever composer who’s not afraid to take some risks with how their tracks are built. Listen to those weird, grinding sounds at around the two minute mark on that track; what the hell is that?
These kind of odd, personal ideas are what fleshes out this album into more than just another release in the genre. Indeed, this kind of personal touch seems important to Deadlife, as it is replete throughout the album. Says the artist himself:
“City of Eternal Rain is a concept album that is inspired by the direct contrast between dark and light. That no matter how bad things get, there is always hope. The record is, like many of them, created to feel like you’ve heard it before, but you don’t remember it, to instill nostalgia in your mind and remind you of a time your memory grasps at but can’t quite recall. I’ve realised in life it takes more bravery and courage to be who you are and bare all, rather than to hide it away, which we often do, which I did in my younger years. It’s time to be honest, to directly reflect that which I feel within what I write.”
Alright, why the hell are we still talking? Head on over here for all the links you need to stream this album once it hits the world. In the meantime, stick around and dive deeper into this one; it has a lot hiding in its folds.