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Band: Stridulum
Album title: Soothing Tales Of Escapism
Release date: 17 December 2021
Label: Manic Depression Records
Genre: Darkwave, Dark Pop, Synth-Wave
Tracklist:
01. Vain
02. Bleeding
03. Ghost
04. Collapse
05. Fear
06. Chasm
07. Glass
08. Odium
09. Home
10. Ashes
One of the most prominent secrets of European darkwave underground must be the Southern Poland based duo Stridulum. The two made aware of themselves with the debut EP Burial in 2020 and got a very positive response from the media. Now the vocalist Marita Volodina and instrumentalist Arkadiy Berg presents their debut full-length. The aptly titled album, Soothing Tales Of Escapism, offers ten crystalline and elegant retrofuturistic dark songs with a touch of melancholy. Marita claims that the aim of Stridulum "is to balance a bitter world’s shallowness with deep emotions”. If the debut EP still had some moments that were hard to swallow, the new album is a step in the right direction. We deal with a masterwork that encapsulates cold emotions and dark views into one hell of an electrifying ride.
Almost completely electronic compositions range from minimalistic dark electro to highly emotional dark pop. There are various other elements included, and the album doesn't get boring at all, yet it has its secrets that reveal after some listening. The music is built upon simple repetitive, yet addictive danceable rhythmic lines, but even though is multidimensional. Almost broody soundscapes are full of cold instrumental parts that get their warm counterpart in deeply wistful but soothing and expressive emotive vocals of Marita, who nicely leads the listener from one song into another. Rhythmic, melodic, with a lot of attention to detail, Stridulum sound modern, even though their principal influence must be the new wave of the 80s and dark pop of the 90s.
Deep and moody, yet highly evocative and soothing, the songs are fit for any dancefloor. It can get under your skin because of the catchy and smooth melodic patterns. Because of its depth, it can be a perfect soundtrack for long winter nights. The main ace of Stridulum is certainly Maritas multi-layered and authentic vocals that are a true refreshment in the world full of weak copycats. Her charming voice shines in songs "Bleeding", "Ghost", "Glass", and "Home", which are the songs that also stand out. Stridulum doesn't do unnecessary experiments, neither they want to sound progressive, and the result is a captivating groovy drive with a dark pop sensibility. Soothing Tales Of Escapism is in its nature still cold, in a certain way haunting and fragile. Because of the thick reverberate beats and linear pulsating rhythmic lines, sometimes it risks getting mellow, but fortunately it doesn't. The only rather silly thing is the three short instrumentals. Maybe those are meant to get some breath before, between, and after the songs, but in this case, it doesn't work well, or better said, it's unnecessary.
Varied, melodic and dynamic, Stridulum's spherical darkwave is built on elements from different dark electro genres. Minimal/synth wave is the main thing, but you can find a lot of synth lines from the 80s, even electro/industrial samples, for example in "Collapse", or some gothic ambiences, especially in "Fear" and "Chasm". The sound is accessible, still rich and detailed, just listen for example to the captivating retro-wave/pop vibes of "Odium" or melancholic "Home". Marita with her vocal lines wants us to pay attention to lyrics that deal with the themes of despair, desire, loss and transformation.
Stridulum make contrasts, not only with the expressive music but also with words, emotionally and visually. Their songs can sound at the same time sad, cold and dark, but also warm and emotionally intense. The darkwave genre with acts like Stridulum is becoming not a mere copy of everything 80s. Marita Volodina and Arkadiy Berg are an example that you can do your own thing, it can be nostalgic, but it can sound fresh and modern. What matters the most is that the music doesn't become too monotone, weird, strange, organic, or forced out, like it happens many times with similar bands that are growing up today like mushrooms after the rain. Stridulum swiftly avoided getting burst into just one another clone of everything 80s. Classy and elegant. Recommended!
The review was written by Tomaz
Rating: 8,5/10
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