Category: Reviews (Page 2 of 204)

ZANIAS Cataclysm

18 October 2025 /

Photo by Apostolos Zanias

First known as the front woman of acclaimed London-based synth duo LINEA ASPERA, Australian-born Alison Lewis relocated to Berlin and launched her solo project ZANIAS in 2016.

Lewis has been particularly prolific in recent years as ZANIAS, as well as reuniting with Ryan Ambridge in LINEA ASPERA and running Fleisch Records. 2023’s ‘Chrysalis’ as the album title suggested was something of a rebirth while the glossolalia swathed ‘Ecdysis’ a year later saw the musical shedding of an outer cuticular layer into a new self.

While delivering a potent political message with assertive fervour and playful sincerity, the new ZANIAS album ‘Cataclysm’ fuses a variety of genres in pursuit of pure artistry but with a sense of light after the heavier if ethereal moods of its predecessors. Written and produced by Alison Lewis, on board shaping the final mix is Trey Frye of American darkwave duo KORINE.

The determined premise is a refusal to give in to despair despite civilisation and the ecosystem on the brink of total collapse. In that respect, the fight instead of flight kicks in and for ‘Cataclysm’, Alison Lewis adopts a striking sword wielding oceanic warrior persona reminiscent of fellow independent female artist CZARINA.

The opening ‘Cataclysm’ title track captures anxious upheaval in the battle for survival but the tempo changes in almost an instant with ‘Naiad’ where the incessant rhythms punch and shuffle in honour of water nymphs in Greek mythology. The hymn-like ‘Whiteout’ takes the mood down to something almost spiritual. But utilising the science fiction horror novel ‘Annihilation’ by Jeff VanderMeer in the verses of ‘Ghostbird’, pointy rave stabs compliment the unusual abstract backdrop with an array of voices in the headspace.

The breezy acoustic strum of ‘Ashes’ throws off the scent, but the cultured cacophony of icy atmospheres and absorbent beats return on the rapturous ‘Dawn’ while the multi-rhythmic spectre of ‘The Spire’ is reverberant with cutting bass and sharp arpeggios. Offset by deep drones, snappy drum ‘n’ bass rhythms propel the frantic pace of ‘Serpentsmile’ to 190 BPM.

Photo by Apostolos Zanias

The thumping ‘Human’ goes full on melancholic techno and is maybe the most accessible ZANIAS statement yet, reflecting on life and the universe. To finish, the “Gatecrasher meets Berghain” exhilaration of ‘Happy Endings’, while sombre in tone, offers the title not as irony but as a hopeful possibility in the face of adversity!

With her known deep attachment to humanity and the environment, Alison Lewis has her very own signature within her post-industrial ethereal wave. After the storm comes fresher air and put simply, ‘Cataclysm’ is the best ZANIAS album to date.

‘Cataclysm’ is released by Fleisch Records on 23rd October 2025, available in various formats via https://zanias.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/zoe.zanias/

https://www.instagram.com/zoe_zanias/

https://www.threads.com/@zoe_zanias

https://bsky.app/profile/zanias.bsky.social

https://www.patreon.com/zanias

Text by Chi Ming Lai
18th October 2025

PAGE Inget Motstånd

2 October 2025 /

Swedish veterans PAGE are back with a new album ‘Inget Motstånd’, translated into English as “No Resistance”.

The duo of Eddie Bengtsson (lead vocals + synths) and Marina Schiptjenko (synths) have been playing together since 1980 and while they have been involved in other music projects like S.P.O.C.K and BWO respectively along the way, they remain a cult force in “Keyboardbaserad Retroromantisk Popmusik”. But in 2017, Bengtsson began to publically despair of the state of modern poptronica. The sound of Synth Britannia and in particular, the imperial machine music phase of Gary Numan was where he wanted to take PAGE.

The initial period of Numanisation on the album ‘Det Är Ingen Vacker Värld Men Det Råkar Vara Så Det Ser Ut’ even included a faithful version of ‘Tracks’ in Swedish as ‘Spår’. With the involvement of Chris Payne and RRussell Bell, two musicians from ‘The Touring Principle’ on the 2023 long player ’En Ny Våg’ saw the influence of the man born Gary Webb reach its zenith.

As a result, the Numanesque elements have been totally dialled down on ‘Inget Motstånd’; produced by Christer Hermodsson, whose credits include Eddie Bengtsson solo vehicle SISTA MANNEN PÅ JORDEN as well as AND ONE, SPARK! and BIOMEKKANIK, the album revisits the punkier ethos of the PAGE of old in its energetic pace.

Album opener and lead single ‘Kan inte tänka på allt’ provides a good start, featuring incessant drum machine and an enticing cacophony of electronics. With a forceful Motorik drive, ‘Mycket mer’ lodges into the brain with its riffing repetition. The brightly lit uptempo action doesn’t let up on either ‘Gå itu’ or ‘Kylskåpsdörr’ although Bengtsson’s vocal expression retains his trademark cynicism.

While the bliptastic ‘Om ett tag’ could be seen as a homage to early Daniel Miller, ‘Sen så blev det värre’ adopts a more live sounding drum track and a rousing chorus before the bleepy syncopated stutter of ‘Klarar det ändå’. And as ‘Ingenting som betyder någonting’ throbs away enjoyably, the thumping ‘Moderna saker’ brings some piano into the synthesized equation. Closing with an elegant almost classical synth instrumental ‘Kära du’, its “repris” bookends its short ivory introduction.

While there are CD bonus tracks, they are outliers away from the lively musical poptimism shaping ‘Inget Motstånd’. A throwback to ‘Blöder Du’ from 2019’s ‘Fakta För Alla’, ‘Små signaler’ is much more sombre and moodier than the rest of the album, hence its likely reason for bonus track status while ‘Konkrete’ is a dark rumbly instrumental quite different from ‘Kära du’.

Having exorcised his Numan obsession of the last few years, ‘Inget Motstånd’ is a welcome return to the classic PAGE sound with Bengtsson being ”just like Eddie…”

‘Inget Motstånd’ is released as a vinyl LP and CD by Energy Rekords, available from https://hotstuff.se/page/x-7640

PAGE play at Winterwaves in Gothenburg on 17th January 2026

https://www.facebook.com/PageElektroniskPop/

https://www.instagram.com/page_svensk_pop

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQxMkC1vyLJu6bfOTnmIPXg

https://soundcloud.com/page_svensk_pop

Text by Chi Ming Lai
2nd October 2025

JOHAN AGEBJÖRN Southern Forest

29 September 2025 /

Although best known for his work with Sally Shapiro, Swedish musician and producer Johan Agebjörn has always maintained a parallel solo umbrella for his various arctic ambient, piano, instrumental, dance and remix projects.

‘Southern Forest’ is his first solo album of new material from Johan Agebjörn since ‘Notes’ a decade ago. It is a collection of nature-themed electronic chill-out set in a glorious cinematic space with an immersive sense of escapism. Inspired by the deep forests of Sweden, the album features collaborations with ambient legend Dr Atmo, Cate Brooks of THE ADVISORY CIRCLE, German synthwave queen NINA and fellow Swedes Miranda Magdalena and Mikael Ögren.

Featuring honest vocal ad-libs from Miranda Magdalena, ‘Where Earth & Heaven Meet’ offers rich and warm tones over subtle midtempo dance beats that reflect the spirituality of the title. The covers of THE ORB’s ‘Little Fluffy Clouds’ is Agebjörn’s musical “thank you” for its 30 years companionship in his life with NINA’s reprise of the original Ricki Lee Jones monologue adding a dreamy alluring quality to the organic beatless interpretation of the track.

One can imagine the ambient house of ‘Their Shadows’ with Mikael Ögren being turned into a full blown dance excursion but its pulsing hypnotism suits the mood of ‘Southern Forest’ perfectly. Their other collaboration ‘Shorefront’ evokes sunsets and seas but avoids those beach music clichés often found in chill-out. ‘On The Ground’ with Miranda Magdalena has this jazzy feel with busy if unobtrusive pulsations while on ‘Dusk’, Agebjörn provides a gentle melodic lattice for Miranda Magdalena’s subtle high vocals melt into the soundscape.

With Dr Atmo in the building, ‘By Lake Ruidh’ is swathed in breezy atmospheres and keyboard melodics but the drifting moods of ‘Starwoven’ provide a harp-like hypnotism in a collaboration with English electronic musician Cate Brooks. ‘Scars’ strips things down to piano while the fittingly titled ‘Closure’ takes on a rainy synthy backdrop.

A wonderful Nordic sonic tonic, ‘Southern Forest’ is an aural relaxant brimming with Agebjörn’s melodic sensibilities exuding throughout. Despite being electronic, it is extraordinarily earthy downtempo accompaniment suitable for both perking up in the morning or unwinding at night.

‘Southern Forest’ is released by Constellation Tatsu on 30th September 2025, available as a digital album from https://agebjorn.bandcamp.com/album/southern-forest

https://www.johanagebjorn.info/

https://www.facebook.com/agebjorn

https://www.instagram.com/johan.agebjorn/

https://linktr.ee/johanagebjorn

Text by Chi Ming Lai
29th September 2025

CHARLY HAZE Poly Pop

26 September 2025 /

Following up her 2021 debut EP ‘Getaway Car’ which came as a kind of musical catharsis following a long recovery after a painful brain injury from a car crash, London-based Dutch electropop artist Charly Haze returns with her new collection ‘Poly Pop’.

Whereas ‘Getaway Car’ was not unexpectedly tinged with melancholy and featured a downbeat cover of ‘The Boys Of Summer’, as the title suggests, ‘Poly Pop’ is a much more confident if still introspective pop statement about navigating a new life abroad as a 30something, dealing with the trials and tribulations of poly dating.

Fully self-realised and self-produced, this is a 5 year adventure documented in 5 songs; opener ‘Half Wide Open’ makes a rousing popwave statement although the wall of sound does mean our heroine is almost swamped in the chorus. ‘Busy Minds’ is less frantic and more hazy in duet with a mystery man who may or may not be the one, while with six string strums sparring off pulsating electronic bass and chopped-up vocal samples, ‘Shake Off’ sparkles as a slice of shiny pop.

Very uptempo, ‘Wasted’ brings in syncopation and comes over like a nocturnal take on NEW ORDER meeting PURITY RING on a Los Angeles highway although the distorted Maisie Peters-inspired vocal spoils the ride slightly. An atmospheric take on the Gabrielle ballad ‘Out Of Reach’ closes ‘Poly Pop’ and the angelic vocal imagines what would have happened if Natalie Imbruglia had gone synthwave.

“Moving to a new country allowed me to reinvent myself in all possible ways, and to embrace the versatility of my identity” said Charly Haze, “I’ve never felt like I excelled at one thing – playing an instrument or being a vocalist. It’s the combination of writing lyrics, composing melodies, crafting soundscapes, and translating everything visually”

There is promise in this EP and as Charly Haze does some critical analysis and develops her craft further, things can only get even better.

‘Poly Pop’ is out now via Kartel Music Group on the usual digital platforms

https://www.facebook.com/charlyhazesongs

https://www.instagram.com/charlyhazesongs/

https://www.tiktok.com/@charlyhaze

Text by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Philine Van Den Hul
26th September 2025

PARADOX OBSCUR IKONA

10 September 2025 /

She is a classical music graduate of the Prague State Conservatory with no influences, just experiences while he is the synth and drum machine enthusiast who loves making electronic music the old-school way; together Kriistal Ann and Toxic Razor are PARADOX OBSCUR.

Combining minimal-electro, darkwave and post-punk with the ethos of recording their music in real-time, the Greek duo began releasing music in 2014 and now have 5 albums and numerous EPs to their name. ‘IKONA’ is their sixth album and their second on Metropolis Records, home to ASSEMBLAGE 23, FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY, DELERIUM and VNV NATION among others.

With an immersive energy, PARADOX OBSCUR have merged a variety of underground electronic styles with hazy references to both past and present. The opening salvo ‘Switch To Love’ is a catchy dance number that is characterised by solid electronic bass pulses and impassioned vocals.

‘Rodeo’ allows some space between the stabbing spacey actions on this electronically treated duet while taking things down to a steadier pace, ‘Impulse’ imagines if a Greek Eartha Kitt had made buzzy bleepy breakbeat. Meanwhile ‘Vulgar Sequence’ is sinister mutant disco that “f*cks your brains”, exploring emotional control and the phenomenon of gaslighting while fighting for freedom.

The short gritty deep shifted romp ‘Like A Freak’ does as it says on the tin as the strobe lit ‘Iconic B’ plays for the dark dancefloor while the rousing trance instrumental ‘Luminous’ in a reflection of its title wouldn’t have gone amiss with the glow stick waving crowds that gathered at Gatecrasher; speaking of which, ‘Lose This Feeling’ is an appealing Europop-oriented cover of the 2023 dance anthem by Dutch DJ Armin Van Buuren who made several appearances at the height of the superclub brand’s heyday.

‘IKONA’ ends with stark darkwave cabaret of ‘Personal’ to conclude what may be PARADOX OBSCUR’s most expressionistic work to date in its subjective emotions and experiences while pushing a distinct clubby stance.

Authentic yet mysterious, a combination of affected Demotic articulation, driving machines rhythms and widescreen electronic atmospheres gives PARADOX OBSCUR their own sound while sharing aesthetics with dark disco exponents like DINA SUMMER and ULTRA SUNN. With its synth and dance blend of different varieties, there is a wide range of crossover potential with ‘IKONA’, regardless of genre preference.

‘IKONA’ is released by Metropolis Records on 12th September 2025, available in the usual formats from https://paradoxobscur.bandcamp.com/album/ikona

https://paradoxobscur.com/

https://www.facebook.com/paradoxobscur

https://www.instagram.com/paradox_obscur

Text by Chi Ming Lai
10th September 2025

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2017 ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK | Email: theelectricityclub@googlemail.com
Privacy Policy

Up ↑