Content: This new Italian synth-pop duo was set up in 2012 and rapidly gained some recognition in their homeland. That led the band to get an offer from Space Race Records to release their debut album “Dead Surface”.
I’m not that excited by some reactions this band got. The mix of rather EBM-orientated bass lines and pop electronics is quite cool and makes sense on several cuts, but globally speaking I’m missing some essential elements to speak about a fully successful album. The EBM elements are quite cool and I wouldn’t change anything here. I’m more disappointed by the pop content, which is less carrying and never reaches a climax. It’s maybe due to a lack of catchy parts and solid melody lines, which both are essential ingredients in electro-pop.
A song like “Fiat Lux” sounds like a good indication of the path to follow. This is one of the single pieces with some extra catchy potential. Instead of this ‘catchy’ absence we get several rather evasive passages featuring the cool “Red Lines” remixed by TourdeForce. Another noticeable song is the more into body-pop sounding “Nemesis – The Third Day”. The melodic aspect are more elaborate on this song as well.
Don’t get me wrong, there are a few enjoyable songs on the album and one of the main strengths about the global production are the vocoded vocal parts –always adding an extra touch when it comes to speak about synth-pop music. Despite of the success a song like “The Hang” seemed to have got, I’m missing a real ‘hit’ on this album. And when an album can’t fully satisfy all expectations 15 songs for a total amount of 74 minutes of music is maybe a bit over the top. At the other side I’m sure it will ravish the fans of the PDR.
Conclusion: I’m not that often disappointed by the releases on Space Race Records and EK Product, but “Dead Surface” remains under my expectations and the usual standard of the label.