Shiny Darkly

HEAVYY EP

Written by: PP on 29/01/2022 12:27:21

Copenhagen, Denmark-based post-punk group Shiny Darkly has become a duo after the departure of bassist Oliver Volz, now consisting solely of drummer Mads Lassen and vocalist/guitarist Kristoffer Bech. Stylistically, it means their soundscape is perhaps a little lighter and less experimental than their previous album "Bronze", but fans of the band will be happy to hear their soundscape on new EP "HEAVYY" is still exclusively based on the late 70s/early 80s British darkwave/rock movement that most of today's post-punk bands base their sound on.

The opening track "Big Day" might give some other vibes initially, though. It starts with Americana-style rock, almost sounding like a post-punk version of The Hold Steady given its contemporary rock melody and storyline-based lyricism. Then we're quickly back to iceage and The Cure/Joy Division style post-punk on "Ballroom", however, with string instruments added in for good measure. All of it is wrapped together by Bech's vocals, which are best described as arrogantly pretentious much like his counterparts in the rest of the post-punk movement. I've never been a fan of the careless style that makes the vocal performance feel like an afterthought or ooze an oh god, why do I have to do this type of a vibe, because it just means the songs feel ostentatious rather than down-to-earth and honest.

But hey, that's just how post-punk bands like to roll. Unfortunately, "HEAVYY" suffers also from songwriting that's merely decent but rarely impresses its listener. There are a lot of ideas from the 80s being put together here on e.g. "Into It All" or "Heavenly", but it's not enough to keep my attention focused. Instead, the record feels like decent background music but not exactly something you'd pop on with a good pair of headphones to sit down and enjoy your day with.

Download: Big Day, Ballroom
For the fans of: iceage, Joy Division, The Cure
Listen: Facebook

Release date 04.02.2022
Crunchy Frog Recordings

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