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Band: pMad
Album title: Medicine [Single]
Release date: 1 February 2022
Label: Zedakube Records
Genre: Gothic Rock, Post-Punk, Alternative Rock
Tracklist:
1. Medicine
2. Who Am I
3. Who Am I (pMad Remix)
The Ireland based one-man-band pMad, a project by multi-instrumentalist Paul Dillon, is a new name in the dark music scene but judging from what he offers with his two so far released songs, it feels like he's here for at least 20 years. Nevertheless, Paul Dillon started his musical journey with The Suicidal Dufflecoats, continued with The Return Of The Suicidal Dufflecoats, then The Greeting, and to completely fulfil his vision he created pMad. Those who follow and read the articles in this web magazine or listen to Terra Relicta Radio should already be familiar with his songs "Who Am I" and recently unveiled "Medicine". Both songs, together with pMad's remix of the song "Who Am I", will be released in a package at the beginning of February. Both songs will take a part of the upcoming debut album, Who Why Where What, which will be released later this year.
pMad's music is a smooth combination of various elements. It sounds fresh, but there are elements from the 80s new wave, post-punk, 90s alternative pop/rock, and of course, gothic rock done in a modern way. His music is dynamic and catchy, with a haunting atmosphere and captivating drive. Paul's voice is soaring, deep, evocative, velvety, but not your typical goth one. The first thing that we heard from pMad was in December last year released the song "Who Am I", and with it, he already gained a lot of attention in the underground dark rock scene. The song is an instant ear-catching mid-tempo dark rock tune with a certain dark pop feeling and a rather cinematic goth atmosphere. Strong pulsating beats, gritty post-punkish guitars, gloomy synths, reverberate bass lines, with haunting backing female vocals to deepen the atmosphere. It slowly crawls deep under your skin, and in no matter of time, you'll find yourself singing those lines.
The new song "Medicine" is pretty different, still holding the pMad signature key, but it's darker, moodier, yet catchier, with a certain minimalistic but dynamic drive. Delicate and playful, it sounds like an irony to all the things happening in the world right now. Dark, glittery, and haunting, with a kind of pop/new wave accessibility, again with pulsating beats, sweet melody, danceable groovy rhythmic line, it's like a perfect song for playlists late in the night at any goth club. "Medicine" is moody and gloomy, a relaxing listen but with a strong message. Thus I recommend you to read the lyrics. For both songs, pMad released stunning, "must watch" professional videos.
With pMad, the dark alternative scene got a new name to remember. It's not only that his so far released two songs are smooth, refreshing and captivating, there's something hidden that makes pMad extravagant and authentic. pMad's music feels like something that you heard before, it sounds familiar, but you don't know exactly where to put it. That's rare to hear nowadays, especially in the goth/post-punk genre, captivating homely but original music. Of course, there are organic things stolen from various genres, but it's a certain simplicity and minimalism that explodes into something turbulently good because of masterful songwriting skills. It's maybe too early to give a relevant opinion about pMad in general but judging from what I heard so far it sounds very promising. I guess that his debut album will be full of surprises and if you are a fan of the above-mentioned genres you should get stoked.
The review was written by Tomaz
Rating: 8/10
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