The French act Venin Carmin have returned with their second album "Constant Depression"
released in May 2020 on the independent label Seja Rrecords from the
Netherlands. After their acclaimed debut in 2015 with "Glam Is Gone",
this new album, released on vinyl, is again full of post-punk / coldwave catchy
tunes. The front cover features the painting ‘Lucretia’ by Niek Hendrix.
From the start
of their sophomore album with the track "It's Gonna Be Wild", we are
introduced to their personal take on post-punk with their somber synths. While
on "Sidekick Punchline, more electronic and darkwave elements have been
added in the mix. The playful track "Willkommen To The Masquerade" that
follows had a video made for it featuring the trios main female members Lula
and Valentine in similar mood. Their dark pop is best expressed on "Twinkle
In The Eye" and on the title track "Constant Depression" the
band sets their attitude of today with lyrics such as “Unsatisfaction
nowadays, constant depression anyway and nothing gets better…”. The first
side ends with "For The Sublime" another fine example of their experimental,
minimal electro pop.
The second side
of the album starts with another great track "Outsiders", where
post-punk is mixed with synth pop and new wave, as on the next rack "Problem
Issue" that sounds like it jumped straight out of the 80’s. We have a
change in atmosphere on "Abysses" where only synths and vocals create
a dark moody tune. Then on "Sketches" they return in full form with a
bass that paves the way of the composition. The playful element returns on "Waterlillies"
with its minimalistic pop structure. On "Dreaming Valentine" we have
seductive vocals over a mid-tempo synth track with nice additions of bass. The
last track "Berceuse" (Lullaby), is an instrumental and as the title
reveals, it is a dark lullaby as if taken from a haunting childhood memory.
Review by Nick Drivas
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