Artist: Waiting For Words
Title: Dignity
Genre: Synth Pop / New Wave
Release Date: 4th February 2023
Label: Foundry Records / Bohemia Music
Album Review
Five months after the release of the critically acclaimed ‘Hedonism EP’ that marked the return of French Synth kings of WAITING FOR WORDS, showcasing the new line up and a clear step forward in terms of production and songwriting, the eagerly anticipated new album is now out… and it’s a real shock, even for a die-hard fan like me.
While ‘Egocracy’ (2018) denounced the ravages of this “Great New World” ruled by Social Networks, egocentricity, and stupidity, as the title indicates quite clearly, we’re more on a personal register with ‘Dignity’. To quote the band, the dignity of the citizens, the parents, the couples, the employees… the human being, that has been seriously put to the test other the last years. We’ll go further on the road to explanation in the coming interview, but what’s happening with those 16 tracks? I could go on a track-by-track review but it would spoil the surprises, and there are quite a lot.
It’s more an overall feeling I want to talk about. The first that comes to me is the overall consistency of ‘Dignity’. WAITING FOR WORDS demonstrates it’s a real “album band”, telling a story and taking you to a voyage. And this voyage is emotionally charged as never before in the band’s discography. As the band said, they put a lot of themselves into it: Love, fear, deception, sometimes anger, hurts, pain, hope, faith… And you can feel it all over the place.
But consistency doesn’t mean “unicity”. There’s a richness, a variety of sounds, tempos, atmospheres. From the huge live sounding of tracks like ‘My Dignity’, ‘Shine’ or ‘See The Lights’ (that’s what I call powerful beats with huge snares and kicks) to intimate and emotional pieces like ‘Hold Me’, ‘To Avoid The Void’ and ‘Without A Sound’ (probably three of the best vocal performances by ZeN ever), experimental stuffs (‘Take It As My Pride’, ‘REloveUTION’ or the amazing ‘Orbital Vectors’, with a former RAF soldier - Karl Tearney - reading a piece of his poetry on a MOBY-esque music) and, of course with WAITING FOR WORDS, pure Pop hits like ‘Hedonism’, the perfect choice to a first single, and ‘A Kiss Like This’ (the most OMD-like song they ever did).
Soe’s tracks are not to be forgotten as they also raise the bar. ‘Interieur Nuit’ is a weird number mixing typically French influences like Serge Gainsbourg on top of a dark club track boosted by a furious guitar and impressive drums. ‘La Voix Des Ombres’ goes clearly in the Gothic atmosphere reminding of Siousxie.
The other important aspect of the album is the instrumental songs. No less than four instrumental tracks. And those tracks are no filler. They almost serve as the backbone of the album. The opening one, ‘It’s Your Time’, is almost a PINK FLOYD-esque piece (think ‘Signs Of Life’), ‘REloveUtion’ is a clear tribute to the sound of DEPECHE’s ‘Ultra’ while ‘Ideal (Interlude)’ serves as a transition from the Pop / Rock sequence of ‘Shine’ and ‘A Kiss Like This’ to the darker part of ‘La Voix Des Ombres’. And of course, the ending theme ‘No Surrender’, perfect continuation of the smashing anti Woke / Cancel Culture anthem ‘Take It As My Pride’.
The overall album is a real sonic boom. Drums are massive and combines the use of an electronic kit and samples with an incredible live feeling (if you listen carefully, you’ll be amazed by the diversity of performances and the constant changes within the tracks), synths develop some real and deep soundscape and the bass is not here just for cosmetic. It’s groovy and the overall feeling is a perfect mix between Live energy and studio massive production work offering ZeN’s vocals some strong foundations to lay upon.
‘Dignity’ sees the band at the top of his game, offering a perfect combination of their past and their future, from the experience of ZeN and Fred (the oldest members of the band) to the youth and freshness brought by Samantha, balanced by the wisdom of Peter and Soe. The album ticks ALL the boxes: songwriting, arrangement, production, sound, performance, emotion. Should this album have been released on a major record company with enough support, it would chart all other the world. But who knows what can happen?
Tracklist
01. It’s Your Time (Opening Theme)
02. My Dignity
03. Intérieur Nuit
04. Hold Me
05. Hedonism
06. REloveUTION
07. Shine
08. A Kiss Like This
09. Ideal (Interlude)
10. La Voix Des Ombres
11. To Avoid The Void
12. Orbital Vectors (feat Karl Tearney)
13. See The Lights
14. Without A Sound
15. Take It As My Pride
16. No Surrender (Ending Theme)
Line-up
Samantha Sirrugue: Bass & Electric Guitar
Fred Montana: Drums
Peter Rainman: Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Soe V: Keyboards, Vocals
ZeN Smith: Keyboards, Vocals
Website
https://waitingforwords.bandcamp.com / https://www.facebook.com/Waiting.for.Words
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 10
Sound: 10
Total: 10 / 10
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