Gothic music has always had an atmospheric vibe, but Midnight Psychic has always been able to push things even further along such a path until it turns it into something truly cinematic. All genres have to move with the times, especially ones so long-established as the gothic/darkwave/post-punk sound, and that is the process that is taking place as the band delivers their latest single, “Mixtape.”
Whilst it conforms in many ways to the sounds and styles that you would expect to find in such realms – the depth charge bass, the cool and clinical digital beats, the baritone vocals, and the shards of guitars that slash and saw through the proceedings – it also moves the form on perfectly.
The sense of pathos is palpable; even the title “Mixtape” has a very nostalgic connotation, speaking of those pre-digital days of cassettes and more innocent times, and the production is poised and polished, sharpening further the already keen sounds that are being juggled here.
And, as if to remind us of the close ties between darkwave music and the dancefloor of the alternative nightclub, “Mixtape” comes in a remixed version. Decade Mix is a take where the song unleashes the digital energy and gets to the dance groove much faster than the more dynamic original version.
The result is a clever dichotomy of a song that looks to the past, both in lyric and sound, yet evolves and polishes that in a way that allows it to stride confidently into a bright new future for the genre. Well, not bright; this is the gothic world, after all…but you know what I mean.
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