Angst by MONO/XYD
The Bremen (Germany) based duo MONO/XYD wraps their deeply personal and feminist themes in modern dark wave – somewhere between EBM and dark pop – a sound that defies easy categorisation.
Alongside their music, the duo’s feminist and political stance is very important to them, which is also reflected in their lyrics. These deal with growing up in the midst of a global crisis, with trauma and depression, but also with hatred in society and criticism of the church and the state.
Sometimes, you have words in related languages like English and German, that look the same or similar, but mean slightly different things. The title of this week’s EP, “Angst”, is one of them. While the English word can be used like “anxiety”, in German it means “fear”; a small, yet meaningful difference.
Sound wise, MONO/XYD make Synthwave of the darker, moodier variety; a bit like a slightly more uncomfortable version of 80s Pop. The programmed beats come in hard, but not as harsh as they could be; complementing the thoroughly electronic and artificial sound of the underlying, slow melodies. The one element in the songs that feels completely organic, is vocalist Anna. She uses a very restrained technique, almost more speaking than singing and just a hair above the level of a whisper. Her (actually pretty nice) voice often seems to be on the verge of breaking, with the tiniest flourishes creeping in around the edges, giving the audience a hint of the emotion behind the lyrics.And it’s the lyrics that made this stand out to me when I first heard this EP. The title track is a song about paralyzing fear and agony. The second song, “Die Fehler”, speaks about enforced gender roles and the pressure that is used on children to conform, while the last song “Broken Victim” is about the self-perceived feeling of shame that results from trauma. These lyrics are very direct and presented in a very conversational, matter-of-fact manner, giving the listener an unsettling sensation. While they could sound hopeless, I think they are cathartic, as if someone with deep seated pain exorcised it by talking about it.
Four remixes by different artists are included, which all put a slightly different emphasis on these songs and round out the EP quite nicely.Overall, I very much enjoyed this piece. The arrangement, vocals and the thoughtful use of effects paint a rather bleak picture of someones emotional state, but not without glimmers of light here and there. Despite the dark topics, there is enough beauty and life in the music and instead of simply projecting the singers emotions, her style allows the audience to reflect on their own. For people that already like Synthwave, or music with a gothic flavor in general, I absolutely recommend it.
If electronic music gets too cubby I can sometimes drift off but in this case I was reasonably absorbed. The vocals almost feel like an effect in themselves, there is something very cool about the German language over electronic music. I can hear this in a real dark club, just going room to room mooching along to this dark beat.
The remixes of 2nd track Broken Victim really shine at the end of this EP.
Add to this the crystal clear production that together with the intentionally sparse compositions make for an EP that tempts you to move your feet while moving you emotionally at the same time. With a count of 3 tracks it’s a bit of a short affair but the 4 remixes add not only value to the EP but some variation as well while not feeling like filler either.
I listened to this album while sitting outside on an extremely hot, humid summer day, and the music felt fitting in those conditions. The sound is heavy but not hard; dark, but not jagged.
There is an emotionless affect to the vocals, and an abrasiveness to the pulsing electronic beat. It’s mesmerizing, and somehow calming, like a weighted blanket.
At times, the music is minimalist, leaving space for the vocals, and at other times it swells to cinematic moodiness. There’s something unexpected to it that kept me slightly off-kilter while listening, but in a way I thoroughly enjoyed.
For fans of dark synth, and gothic post-punk, this is definitely an album worth hearing. According to their Bandcamp page, the band is planning to release another album later this year and I definitely plan to give it a listen.
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