The Greek electronic
darkwave duo Selofan have returned with their sixth album "Partners
In Hell". The album was released on October 20, 2020 on their label
Fabrika Records. The record contains 10 new synth-based tracks drenched with
their dark theatrical aesthetics all having a homonymous sound.
The opener "The
Grey Garden" starts off gently with a kind of atmospheric romantic film
noir feel to it and Joanna Pavlidou’s tormented voice floating over it. The
beat kicks up on "Almost Nothing" but still retaining the same
feel. Soft synth-scapes and vocals full of depth drifting in the background.
Next is "There Must Be Somebody" that was the first album teaser,
released as a digital single in April, accompanied by a video directed and
edited by Dimitris Chaz Lee. This catchy track with its synth arpeggios was
mixed by Serafim Tsotsonis. Here, Joanna’s vocal style is reminiscent of that
of Anja Huwe (of XMal Deutschland). The more sythpop German spoken "Nichts"
is filled with synths and darkness, owing also to Dimitris Pavlidis’ throbbing
bass guitar and Joanna’s haunting vocals. In the same vein we have "Zusammen"
and "4 a.m.". While on "Happy Consumers", although it has a
more playful approach, it still retains the albums dark desolate icy feel. The
same could be said for "Absolutely Absent" despite that the tempo
speeds up. By listening to the track "Metallic Isolation" you think
that this could be the bands nod to the Joy Division songs
"Isolation" and "Heart And Soul", here as a more minimal
electronic take of these two classics masterfully entwined into one. The last
track "Auf Deiner Haut" was the second single taken from the album released
in September with the filming of its video to have taken place at the Asilo Bar
in Bogota, Colombia. It ends the album on a high and is probably the standout
track. With its pulsing rhythm, Joanna’s dominant vocal and Dimitri’s
characteristic saxophone.
The album comes
as a limited-edition vinyl with an edition of 500 copies in splatter black with
fuchsia vinyl and another 500 copies in splatter red with black vinyl. Also,
there will be a deluxe digipack CD edition that comes in special digipack cover
with UV spot and emboss touch.
Review by
Nick Drivas
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