Artist: Cold Cave
Title: Passion Depression
Genre: Synthpop / Darkwave / New Wave / Post Punk
Release Date: 15th October 2024
Label: Heartworm Press
Album Review
COLD CAVE is a Los Angeles-based duo of singer and poet Wesley Eisold and multi-instrumentalist Amy Lee. Started as Eisold’s experimental solo project in 2007 COLD CAVE had soon laid the foundation for the modern Darkwave / Synth Pop sound that has been gaining momentum ever since.
‘Passion Depression’ is COLD CAVE’s first full-length album after ‘Cherish The Light Years’ that was published in 2011. In the meantime the band released a compilation, various singles, covers and EP’s, and actively toured with such legends as NINE INCH NAILS, THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN, GARY NUMAN, DEPECHE MODE and THE CULT, whose names speak for themselves, as well as headlined such festivals as Tomorrow’s Ghost Festival (UK), Wave Gotik Treffen (DE), Grauzone festival (NL), W Fest (BE) among others. ‘Passion Depression’ is also the first truly collaborative effort for the band, as Wesley Eisold shared all stages of writing and production with his partner and bandmate Amy Lee. This record continues the band’s fully DIY approach, created entirely by themselves from the album artwork to mixing and mastering. Two thirds of the tracks of the album were released as singles on the 15th of each month as they were written.
The album is described as “icy Synth Pop for the hot blooded” and it fully lives up to its presentation. It opens big with ‘She Reigns Down’ and its accelerating synths and haunting rhythms with Wesley Eislod’s deep vocals reverberating from what could be a neon-lit warehouse walls ready for a party or a candle-lit cathedral halls ready for a ritual in the name of greater goddess who is obviously a “she”, following the lines like “Her name is Allah - Her name is Jesus - Her name is Buddha - She reigns forever". The next ‘Shadow Dance’ takes the overdriven bass line from the previous track and launches it into space. “Cold war’s anthem for yesterday and tomorrow”, this highly danceable track instantly catches you into its ever-accelerating synth current and holds you tight until its end. ‘Blackberries’ changes the tone to a melancholic, contemplative meditation on our divided, polarized, conflicted world. “I want it all, all bittersweet” - Eisold’s sensual voice hovers over nostalgic guitars. Another change of mood comes with ‘Hourglass’ presenting the listener the classic COLD CAVE sound, both 80s drenched and acutely modern. First released in the middle of June this is your perfect summer ballad, a beautiful tender love song with Wesley Eisold and Amy Lee singing in turns as if to each other.
Starting with epic synths, ‘Siren Song’ is a very club-compatible romantic anthem, perfect for a party night or a voyage into the open sea looking for wonders of the unknown. ‘Everlasting’ is another classic counterpart to ‘Hourglass’. As the band says: “Cold Cave is a love story”, and it’s in songs like this you can feel it best. A catchy melody, overdriven guitar that interconnects all the songs on the record, Eisold’s gentle baritone and deeply poetic lyrics about setting your love free - its beauty lies in its conciseness. ‘Holy Road’ is a sharp contrast to the previous track, reminiscent of the band’s earlier noisier works. Amy Lee takes on the lead vocals and sounds surprisingly hard, her voice interwoven into gritty raw guitars, with equally hard-hitting lyrics such as “I’ve been drawn And quartered I’ve been crucified Hung out to dry And kicked aside”. A song that makes you want to drive full speed on a night highway across the dystopia-turned-reality landscape. The album comes to an end with ‘Oktavia’, an atmospheric, decadent, Byronesque gem with such lyrics as “No one to tell It’s Saturday night In the citadel And the poets will die We danced all night”. The ideal October hymn to burn candles to, forget the outside world and dance all night.
The entire record is an ode to love and the love that went into making it can be felt through each track. Well-worth the wait, it shows COLD CAVE evolving their sound without losing their unique trademark style. ‘Passion Depression’ is a cohesive and versatile album at the same time, with its title perfectly representing its music. The heralds of modern synthpop are upholding their royal status in the scene with this solid, stylish and genuine work of art.
Tracklist
01. She Reigns Down
02. Shadow Dance
03. Blackberries
04. Hourglass
05. Siren Song
06. Everlasting
07. Holy Road
08. Octavia
Line-up
Wesley Eisold
Amy Lee
Website
https://www.coldcave.net
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 10
Sound: 10
Total: 10 / 10
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