I had been looking forward to Fotocrime’s new album ever since it was announced. The band’s previous releases with their mixture of post punk, dark wave and goth rock were right up my alley, my favourite being the EP Always Night (2017). I gave Always Night many, many spins, and I especially liked the disillusioned lyrics for the track Always Hell.
Because of all of the above, I gave South of Heaven a listen as soon as I got it. But listening to it, I quickly realized that it wasn’t what I had expected. The album was darker, bleaker and often less melodious than earlier releases. The change is not that dramatic as to be a complete turnaround, but the sound is definitely stripped down on some tracks, pointing in hitherto unsuspected directions. And as it is always the case when your expectations are not met, I was somewhat disappointed.
Looking through the PR material for the album and through posts on social media, I came across an honest request by the artist. He was asking his fans to give the album time, to listen to it, to let it seep in. So that’s what I did. I gave South of Heaven some time. And once I had gotten over myself and accepted the fact that bands cannot and should not stay frozen in time just to humour their fans’ tastes, that as people change, the music they make changes, I could appreciate the album for what it was. It was bleaker, yes, but it was also more poetic, more personal, it opened up a whole other dimension, and you’ve got to honour that.
Fotocrime is essentially a one-man project, now even more so than in the past. Its heart and soul is R, aka Ryan Patterson, former frontman of American punk band Coliseum. His voice and his guitar, aided by drum machines and synthesizers, create a sound that is both familiar and new. The Sisters of Mercy are clearly the strongest audible influence, but Fotocrime’s music is in addition coloured by the disenchantment characteristic for the twenty-first century that the bands that originally created this sound didn’t know.
As I said above, South of Heaven does not constitute a complete change in course for Fotocrime. Among the album’s ten tracks are quite a few that will sound familiar to fans. Love Is A Devil is one of them, as is Expulsion from Paradise. Melodious and dominated by drum machine, catchy riffs and lyrics, they pay homage to The Sisters Of Mercy. But there are also tracks like Hold Me In The Night with a minimal arrangement, characterized by a deep sadness paired with romanticism that could well have been written by Leonard Cohen. And while the latter was probably the greatest surprise for me, that’s not all. There is also the detached, cold sound of industrial bands like Einstürzende Neubauten to be heard, there is a reference to Robert Frost’s poetry (“I’ve got promises to break” in Invisible) and there are gutsy guitar riffs like the ones PJ Harvey writes. Foto On Wire, the second track, for example, features such a riff and is one of my favourite tracks on the album.
If you like post punk, dark wave and industrial music, and if you share a feeling of disillusionment but still have a flicker of hope, you will like this. You can listen to the whole of South on Heaven on bandcamp. If you like the album, consider buying it. Ryan Patterson is one of many musicians who had to cancel their tours because of the current health crisis and could probably use some financial support.
(7.5/10 Slavica)
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