I Die: You Die out of Vancouver had some rad words for “By the Stars!”
“Drawing together moody trad goth, dreampop and shoegaze with a sense of space and pacing, it’d be really easy for a piece like this to drift too far out to sea to ever come together, but the interplay between the vocals and guitars is deceptively tight without ever losing the pure dreamy pleasure of either.”
Mexico's La Caverna reviewed “By the Stars.” Gracias !
“na meditación etérea sobre la pequeñez humana frente a la inmensidad del universo. La canción navega entre folk atmosférico y dream pop con una delicadeza casi cinematográfica, creando la sensación de observar un cielo helado mientras los pensamientos más profundos flotan lentamente hacia la oscuridad”
Thank you to Analogue Trash in the UK for reviewing “By the Stars!”
“The band often explores the further reaches of post-punk in their music, and the rhythm section of the song largely comes from that direction, brooding in tone before smoothly progressing to a lighter feel, and then back. Ria Aursjoen's vocals are more than equal to the task of mastering those tonal shifts: at times ethereal, then doomily romantic, like listening to an angel falling to earth and becoming almost mortal.”
Monkeypress out of Germany reviewed “By the Stars.” Danke!
“Rollende Tom-Toms, schimmernde Gitarrenflächen und der warme, ätherische Gesang von Ria Aursjoen erzeugen eine Atmosphäre, die irgendwo zwischen Dream-Pop, Ethereal Wave und klassischem Darkwave schwebt. Gerade Fans von Cocteau Twins, The Cure oder frühen Shoegaze-Bands dürften sich hier sofort zuhause fühlen.”
Thank you Aural Aggravation!
“a soft chiming guitar – wistful and ponderous – contrasts with a darker-sounding Cure-like chorus-soaked bass and rolling tom-led drums which arrive shortly after”
White Light//White Heat featured “By the Stars” as its "Track of the Day." Thank you!
“soul-stirring, mesmerizing ethereal ballad”
Great review of “By the Stars” at Post-Punk Monk!
“The multi-tracked expression vocals of Ria Aursjoen did nothing to break the foreboding spell of the song as they entered the fray, but following a descending fill by drummer Randy Gzebb, everything began to change. The vocal melody of Ms. Aursjoen began to soar as the effulgent guitar changed course and the song began to erupt into shards of light.”
Thank you to The Big Takeover!
“'By The Stars' is still full of rich and resonant guitars, full-on but precise drums, bass lines that deliver both momentum and melody, and of course, Ria Aursjoen’s dreamlike vocals, here pushing even further into the otherworldly realm that they are never too far from.”
Thank you to RingMaster Review for the “Saints of Absolution” review, saying the song is “rich in drama from start to finish with its build to and subsequent crescendo of tension amid inescapable virulence as arousing as it is an irresistible trespass”
Athens-based Skylight Webzine had rad “Saints of Absolution” thoughts. Much appreciated!
“a strong tour towards the darkest corners of modern post-punk, with a song that feeds on suspense, atmosphere, and strong feelings. The music begins with deep, echoing drums and a mechanical bassline, putting the listener in a dark, cinematic atmosphere.”
Myth of Rock gave “Hermine” a great review. Thank you!
“From the opening seconds, the song erupts with a wall of sound—buzzing guitars, thunderous drumming, and a driving bassline creating an unstoppable momentum that doesn’t let up. Vocalist Ria Aursjoen is the centerpiece here, her performance shifting between commanding strength and raw vulnerability.”
Thank you Post-Punk.Com for the review!
Octavian Winters has joined forces with Mark Pistel (Consolidated, Meat Beat Manifesto) on their new two-track single. Out now via Stratis Capta Records, the A-side, Nebula, muses on the inevitable impermanence of all things—whether seen, unseen, known, or unknown. Complementing this is Pistel’s irresistibly pulsating remix of Velveteen, which promises to get even the most reluctant specters tapping their ghostly feet.
Our new single “Nebula” is out now, featuring a remix of “Velveteen” by the iconic Mark Pistel! Thanks to Amplify Music Magazine, Click Roll Boom, PipiloPop and Dequeruza for showing the love already! Get it at Bandcamp.
“These folks blend the bleak with the beautiful by conjuring an atmosphere where edgy grooves rub shoulders with billowy synth waves and vocals that seem to have been lifted from an otherworldly choir. We hear elements of Cocteau Twins, Clan of Xymox, Faith and the Muse, and Dead Can Dance in their sound.”
Awesome The Line or Curve review at Post-Punk! Thanks!
“Their ability to create profoundly detailed, multilayered compositions, where every instrumentation acts like a well-articulated soundscape, goes beyond comprehension many times during the entire extended play release.”
Such a cool review from Thoughts Words Action of The Line or Curve, which it calls “one of the best post-punk releases you’ll hear this year.” Thank you!
“The transition from the ethereal to the raw is seamless, taking the listener on a dynamic journey through soundscapes that range from delicate to intense.”
Thanks Skylight Webzine for reviewing The Line or Curve!
“Surreal” is out now as the third single from The Line or Curve, and had its premiere at ReGen Magazine!
“slow bass and drum grooves, icy shards of guitars, elegant yet haunting keyboard passages, and wispy, emotive vocals.”
Big Takeover in NYC has some great thoughts on “Undertow!”
“a dark musical weave forged of post-punk and gothic strands, a sonic web that is a neat blend of pulsing bass grooves and shaded ethereality, dark and delicious guitar slashes, and haunting sound washes. It is a sound that, rather than impact the listener, instead wraps itself around them and encompasses them, inviting them in and captivating them with its Stygian designs”
Skylight Webzine in Athens reviewed “Undertow," calling it “eerie and melancholic,” and “Ondine” which “creates an ethereal experience that envelops listeners in a realm of sea nymphs and bittersweet longing, reminiscent of the works of Drab Majesty, Clan Of Xymox, and Cocteau Twins”. Thank you!
Our new single “Undertow” had its premiere at London's Joyzine!
“The track feels like it was recorded in a studio deep beneath the earth, drawing power from subterranean caves and bubbling magma. There’s tectonic thunder in the pounding drums and rumbling bass and these are covered in a dissonant web of guitar chords and gritty synth. But the light in this inky blackness comes from Ria Aursjoen’s vocals which can skim the instruments during the verses before spiralling up in the vortex of the chorus.”
“Ondine” was the “Video of the Day” at Italy's White Light//White Heat!
“'Ondine' shimmers inwardly with a wide, cinematic sweep through atmospheric Darkwave tones, colored by a lush, sparkling, and intricate guitar work, along with mesmerizing ethereal vocal incantations.”
