“What if you met your younger self and your younger self didn’t recognize you?
Such is the premise of the debut EP We Become Strangers by the Dark Wave project The Bleak Assembly,comprising of Kimberly Kornmeier from Bow Ever Down and Michael Smith from Fiction8.
“I'm still not sure what the inspiration is. When the world fell apart in 2020, this is the sound that came out” is what Smith says about the band’s new Post Punk Dark Wave EP, We Become Strangers.
After having worked on an album for the band Fiction8 for several years, the pandemic hit and Smith found himself playing guitar more and making electronic music less. Struggling with writing lyrics for the music he was creating and not really having a clear idea about what to do with it he had heard that fellow musician Kornmeier enjoyed vocal collaborations. Having been on the same label Smith knew her and sent some of the demos to get some feedback and see what she thought.
“I knew it wasn't her sound - it wasn't mine either - but I was blown away by what she sent back. I knew pretty much immediately that I had to release this material. It all came together very quickly.”
The first song on the EP “Slow Down Time” immerses the listener into a nostalgic post punk landscape accentuated by beautifully wavering and distorted vocals and fascinating pop hooks. With a soaring rhythm and a hypnotic beat “Wash It Away” is accentuated by the imploring and enticing lyrics vocalised brilliantly by Kornmeier. “Fragile Like Glass” has sharp textures and takes a step into a more electronic environment with the concept of fragility poignantly presented through the lyrics and Kornmeier’s haunting vocals. The final song on the EP “Lost and Vacant” begins with syncopated staccato sussurations surrounding the questioning lyrics and excellent vocals of Kornmeier.
This EP submerges the listener into a soundscape of discovery and change and is well worth taking the plunge into.
Links :
Bandcamp: https://thebleakassembly.bandcamp.com/album/we-become-strangers
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