AFTER MATH presents the intoxicating sounds of TECHNOIR, a Milan-based duo who craft a darkly atmospheric spell throughout the album. Taking influence from the ’90s Bristol scene, the duo of Alexandros Finizio and Jennifer Villa strut a commanding sound in their synth-pop, industrial, and alternative inspirations, ranging in likeness from Flying Lotus to Massive Attack and Nine Inch Nails.
The opening “Saturate” is exemplary of the project’s atmospheric hold, intertwining trickling guitar haunts with powerful multi-layered vocals and eerie synth flourishes. Additional moments, like the acoustic guitars in the final minute, tout a dynamically compelling allure, sounding like a cross of Radiohead and Portishead. “A Taste of Dystopia” follows with a steadier, haunting impact, touting a brooding ’90s nostalgia in a resemblance to A Perfect Circle and Placebo.
The highlights persist throughout the album’s 12 tracks. “Polluted Core” engrosses with its industrial soundscape, immersing with twangy guitars and lusher introspection prior to a bass-bolstered vocal sequence; the “I die for you,” vocal sequence is especially engaging. “Way Back Home” also impresses with its escalating qualities, traversing from a Depeche Mode-esque synth-y darkness into ghostly vocal segments. The concluding “Noise Eater” puts a bow on the album’s consistent immersion, with prickly synth lines and clanking percussion melding with atmospheric vigor. AFTER MATH is a stylishly consuming listening experience from TECHNOIR.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of November 2023’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
