Reviews

The success announced itself. When Moonpools released their single Never Mind in February, I not only already had a top-spot contender for this year’s best song but also an exciting outlook on their upcoming EP, Hide and Seek.

However, Moonpools, this five-piece band from Basel, Switzerland, respectably saved themselves a place in indie fans’ hearts in 2022. Their second EP, Damaged Goods, demonstrated the band’s evocative sound. «Damaged Goods makes lostness and confusion sound astonishingly energetic and hopeful,» I wrote about the EP’s title track.

Later, I also talked about Feel from the same record: «It is a bright shimmering pearl of dream pop, heavily drawing from dark wave’s melancholia and indie rock’s melodic qualities. It is a constant flow of self-doubt, fear, and helplessness, presented by Marcie Nyffeler’s angelic voice and wrapped into a bittersweet arrangement.

Singer and guitarist Marcie Nyffeler, her brother Jasper (drums), Francesco Vona (keyboard), Matthias Gusset (guitar) and David Blum (bass) have since been featured by BBC Introducing and played at the esteemed Montreux Jazz Festival last year.

Mind-bogglingly Great

Today, their third EP, Hide and Seek, adds five more absolute gems to the treasure trove you can find beneath Moonpools’ surface.

Of course, the previous single releases are included, like the otherworldly slow-motion anthem Never Mind, floating right between melancholy and anticipation. This synth melody will not be anything but mind-bogglingly great.

Forget, the EP’s opener, shimmers in a veil of sadness, bittersweet and dreamy like the more voluptuous records of The Cure, like Bloodflowers. The closing Someday provides a lighter composition, with the acoustic guitar in the spotlight. 

But there are also two exclusive songs on Hide and Seek. With Say Anything, Moonpools push down the gas pedal harder than anytime before—a driven, loud, and dense composition contrasts the revelling vocals.

The hopeful and uplifting synth hook reflects the song’s message, as Marcie Nyffeler explains:

«The song is a conversation between two people. One shares their insecurities and doubts, the other expresses their understanding and shows that they are there to support the other and loves them unconditionally. Sometimes you don’t even have to say anything, you understand each other without uttering a word.»

Say Anything is fighting with Never Mind for the most exuberant moment, yet, at least for me, melancholy trumps euphoria. Both songs, hymnic and larger-than-life, however, command attention.

Nothing to Hide, Nothing to Seek

But while the EP’s anthems grow exponentially towards infinity, a slow development in their shadows occurs, which you should not ignore but observe closely: See-Through. With over six minutes, the song borders at an epos building itself brick by brick, layer by layer. See-Through is a song for the patient, but it rewards with a haunting crescendo of devilish heavy sound and choirs from heaven.

With Hide and Seek, Moonpools almost put themselves and their already exquisite work on Damaged Goods to shame. It is more than a step; it is a leap up to the peak of Switzerland’s indie-rock hopefuls. Their talent for blending melancholy, beauty, and sophistication hides in plain sight; you do not have to seek their brilliance.

Moonpools – Hide and Seek

Release: 19 April 2024

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What is an album worth in the age of streaming and playlist domination? The Parisian trio Keep Dancing Inc. released their sophomore album—A Taste of Possibility—and it might provide one potential answer to that question.

Louis de Marliave, Joseph Signoret, and Gabrielle Cressaux initially found each other through a shared love for acts like «LCD Soundsystem, Depeche Mode, and Palma Violets,» as de Marliave states in the album’s press release. Adding in a constant fascination for synthesizers, the Beatles’ harmonies, and electronic formations like New Order and Hot Chip, the trio’s sound is easily deciphered.

Entering the public spotlight with their debut album Embrace in 2020, the dance-pop band followed with an array of singles—as it is best practice today—culminating in the EP Can’ttrio’s Get You Out Of My Mind that features four out of the ten tracks on A Taste of Possibility.

Recorded during the pandemic’s height, the process differed from before: «We were working with a more stripped-back sound of just a synth, guitar and drums and found that we were much tighter as a band,» states bassist Joseph Signoret.

But it wasn’t just the songwriting process or the live recording that challenged Keep Dancing Inc. The trio embarked on entirely self-producing the record. The band’s collaborative spirit meant that everyone could pitch in: «Everyone brings ideas to the table that we work on together,» explains Signoret further in the press release.

Keep Shifting Inc.

All this information sets the backdrop for listening to A Taste of Possibility. And it seems the album’s title is already engraved as a prophecy for what to expect. Keep Dancing Inc., so the perception, took the possibilities quite literally and explored their sound in all directions.

It starts with 96, an eclectic instrumental track featuring heavy guitar work, fuzzy bass lines, and playful synth melodies, pulling back the curtain of what Keep Dancing Inc.’s sound entails. There’s just enough jam session flavour and drive to create something intriguing.

From there, we arrive at A Taste of Possibility, the album’s namesake song. To say that it sounds different from the opener would be a gross understatement. We are greeted by summer-warm pop, refined with a pinch of funk. It is an almost unbearably happy sound.

And the sound keeps shifting colours from there on out like a hyperactive chameleon: Murders Mourns Again, criticizing Western hypocrisy, is a fast-paced rock sound, housing a bit of surf vibe and post-punk ambience.

Followed by the slowly building synth-pop in Chinese Town, we arrive at the mellow Can’talbum’s Get You Out Of My Mind—a reflection of long-distance relationship and isolation, and the acoustic-guitar-dominated You’reCan’t My Healthiest Addiction.

GPS then throws another wrench with its garage sound—inspired by Let the Beat Hit’You’re Em by Tru Faith. The admittedly funny ballad Pollination Nation Invasion, telling us about the first time experiencing hay fever, is followed by the building pop composition in Tell Me Again, while Radio, the album’s most straightforward rock song, concludes A Taste of Possibility.

Individually Great—But Not Cohesive Enough

There is something exciting about artists willing to branch out, explore different styles, and chart untrampled routes through the sonic jungle. Nobody who truly cares about music wants an album with ten copy-pasted songs.

But with A Taste of Possibility, Keep Dancing Inc. unfortunately went too far with the concept of variability. The album feels disjointed, only held together by an underlying story of creation and first times for the band itself—a story that remains ominous to the uninitiated. It is simply not enough to throw a bunch of singles together and call it an album… even with the premise of that title. There must be an apparent thread and maybe even a sense of direction.

However harsh the criticism might be that Keep Dancing Inc. shot miles past the idea of an album, it is by no means a criticism of their songs individually. Individually, they are great, each in their own regard.

One might enjoy the overwhelming happiness and retro-pop vibe in A Taste of Possibility or Chinese Town. Others may find the instrumental opus 96 or the post-punkish Murderer Mourns Again, easily the album’s best tracks, an incentive to listen.

The album’s overdone variability means that many might find one or two tracks they like—and forget about the rest. And it ultimately remains sad that Keep Dancing Inc.’s second album—after a promising and cohesive picture provided in Embrace—went overboard with their sonic kaleidoscope.

Maybe At The Crossroads

You can now argue that today’s world doesn’t need cohesiveness anymore. Who even cares about albums when playlists are the main driver for music discovery? And I wouldn’t necessarily disagree with you. In such a world, it makes sense to create bolder variety.

But then, there’s no need for an album anymore: You gain more attention by steadily releasing singles throughout the year. However, Keep Dancing Inc. decided to bundle the songs nonetheless.

On the other hand, we can give this a positive spin: Maybe we see A Taste of Possibility in hindsight as an album that was searching for the future—heavily impacted by the departure of a former band member, the pandemic, and an urge to experiment. Keep Dancing Inc. states that the album feels like «a big milestone» in their careers.

Each of the record’s songs provides a potential outlook on where the band might be heading. «We’re already thinking about what’s next now, like maybe developing a more minimalist sound for the dancefloor. But for now, we’re just happy to continue defining what Keep Dancing Inc. is all about.»

With the best of intentions, you could see it as a canvas full of promising ideas. And as a cliffhanger for the band’s further adventures.

Keep Dancing Inc. – A Taste Of Possibility

Release: January 26, 2024

It was the song Missing Me that introduced me to Angie McMahon in 2019. The single's raw and reduced composition felt like a long-awaited return to rock music's essence.

With Salt, the Melbourne-born artist delivered a highly praised debut album, even shooting up to 5th place in Australia's charts. Eddy Lim, reviewer at the Beat Magazine, wrote: «While Salt is primarily driven by deft guitar work and a tight rhythm section, it's McMahon's stunning vocal performance that unequivocally captures the spotlight.»

Four years passed, and finally, Angie McMahon released her sophomore work: Light, Dark, Light Again. And it sounds significantly different from Salt—already anticipated with the first single release, Saturn Returning—yet arguably even better.

I have been listening to Light, Dark, Light Again for weeks at this point, yet I still struggle to fully grasp the album and put my thoughts into sentences that pay justice.

There are obvious observations like the piano replacing the guitar as the main character in most compositions—a development that originated in the 2020 compilation of Salt songs in piano versions. 

Or that, suppose Salt was a raw blueprint of blues-infused rock music, the new album seems like a natural evolution: Its compositions are more complex and refined, sophisticated gems of singer-songwriter brilliance, encompassing all from rock, folk, blues, and country music.

Or the connection to nature as a facilitator of healing with references in the lyrics and soundbites introduced in songs like the opener, Saturn Returning.

However, none of these facts scratches the depth of the brilliance Angie McMahon displays in the 13 songs of Light, Dark, Light Again. There is more to unpack here, maybe too much for a single review.

With his debut album, Norway's indie soul hope Beharie presents twelve songs with a kaleidoscopic range of tones, sounds, and colours—tied together with his raw singer-songwriter lyrics, swinging between self-confidence and vulnerability.

In 2021, Beharie won the Spellemann prize for his second EP, Beharie // Beharie, and was nominated again a year later for the subsequent EP, Beharie, the Third. Both moments demonstrate the artist's rising profile in his home country and beyond.

In Are You There, Boy?, Beharie delves into the aspects of his identity as a queer person. Artistically abstracted into different characters, each song is a fragment of Beharie's self, meeting in their common urge for belonging. Or, as Beharie puts it:

Sensu's career shows an undeniable upwards trajectory—not only regarding exposure but very much artistically. The Swiss producer has come far since 2017 when she debuted with the EP Lose Sight.

The early work is heavily inspired by hip-hop's slow beats and a soul-like vibe, clearly audible in her debut album Embrace, released in 2019.

One year later, Sensu was nominated for a Swiss Music Award—as the first woman who «only» produced sound, not as a singer. The jury at SRF 3 Radio wrote in its nomination: «The electro producer breaks down clichés of electronic club music and has created her own music genre.»

Jasmin Peterhans, aka Sensu, started playing the piano at seven. 2010, she began producing her own music. «I wanted to contribute something to hip-hop culture,» she said in an interview with The Pit London. But she gradually shifted towards more intricate electronica, prominently marked by the 2021 single Drawn and the EP Inner Monologue, which draws from both sonic worlds.

The transformation to one of the most lauded electronic acts Switzerland has to offer was completed with last year's EP Numéro LDN. While hip-hop vibes are still present in tracks like Both Sides, a collaboration with rapper Denyher, or Pink with Jamal Bucanon, Sensu's sound now was clearly inspired by UK garage and jungle.

After releasing Numéro LDN, Sensu shared five tracks with us that inspired her in the process, like Overmono's So U Kno. «When I first heard this song in London, I was utterly blown away by the euphoria it triggered in me. […] The details and the build-up are absolutely insane. Overmono are definitely one of the most inspiring acts in the past half-year,» she wrote then.

5 Tracks That Inspired Sensu

Swiss electronica artist Sensu has released a new EP. In this special edition, she shares five tracks that inspired her creative process.

Negative WhiteJanosch Troehler

2023 marks another milestone: AM___PM, released on June 9th, is a small but precious four-track collection showcasing another progression.

While three of the songs have already been released as singles, the collective gathering on the EP prompts a deeper reflection on Sensu's latest work.

Opening the sonic experience is Fuse, featured in one of this year's Weekly5 editions. The track fiercely raves although the UK garage vibe is less present.

However, the gap gets filled with a constant rush of beats, foggy synthesisers, and an alarming melody. Fuse spreads excitement without indulging in cheesy cheerfulness.

Instead, Sensu's sound often sounds more melancholic and thoughtful, compellingly contrasting electronica's pumping nature.

The sombre, almost sinister atmosphere continues in Perfect Life—a collaboration with producer and multi-instrumentalist Lawrence Hart. Here, UK garage makes a comeback, referencing a beat similar to 2022's Hypnotize Me Baby, just faster and crisper.

Perfect Life advances and retracts repeatedly; sometimes, the composition is reduced to its bare minimum, only displaying the beat or the melody, making it even more impressive when Sensu and Hart open all the tabs to unleash the entire arrangement.

Clear My Mind then pushes the pedal to the metal: The hyperactive beat alongside the heavily pitch-shifted vocal sample creates a frantic, restless track, yet grounded by a deeply humming bass in the background.

However, the song's nervousness cannot drown out the fact that Clear My Mind remains the track that requires the most getting used to and is probably the EP's weakest entry.

AM___PM's only previously unreleased track closed the EP. Night Drive features an upbeat ambience; it's almost galloping in its breakbeat.

But at first, the track misleads you: «At the beginning, it appears to be a somewhat harder rave track that could be played in a dark cellar. But then the Arp sounds suddenly pull you into a kind of dream world, and it gets brighter again,» explains Sensu in the press release about one of her favourite tracks on the EP.

«The energy stays until the break and then it feels like a free fall. In the second drop, the euphoria sets in.»

The song feels like a shimmering reconciliation, a sharp handbrake turn away from the gloomy vibe AM___PM features in its other tracks.

«Night Drive is a journey, just like all the different phases of life that we go through,» says Sensu. «The energy stays until the break, and then it feels like a free fall. In the second drop, the euphoria sets in.»

With AM___PM, Sensu again highlights her entitlement as one of Switzerland's most intriguing electronic artists, one that pushes boundaries and explores new territories. Her compositions are highly detailed, precise yet playful, often unconventional and complex.

But what truly sets Sensu apart is her ability to infuse her music with genuine feelings. Whether it's the melancholic atmosphere or the euphoria of a soaring melody, her compositions are always emotionally resonant.

AM___PM is a testament to Sensu's musical skill and commitment to creating music that speaks to the soul and body.