ReView: Voicecoil – Strange Days0

Voicecoil
Album: Strange Days
Category: Futurepop
Label: Self-released
Release Date: 2022-08-05

Voicecoil’s Mark Sousa has been extremely busy over the last two years; while also working on his EBM-tinged side project Gravity Corps, the Denver-based futurepop project has produced two full-length releases since 2020, both inspired by and acting as a reflection of the strange world we shared within that two-year window – Singularity, and the more recent Strange Days. Despite its immediate catchiness, a testament to Sousa’s songwriting, Strange Days carries a lot of emotional weight. The opening “Witness” bleakly declares “It’s all for naught,” and the rest of the record keeps on that thematic narrative. Subjects include loss, tragedy, self-doubt, and even death, and the compositions are very effective at evoking the emotions associated with those subjects. The record even tries out a few different things from a production standpoint, for while previous Voicecoil releases have stuck primarily to the futurepop/synthpop stylings (albeit very effectively), it seems that a slightly harder edge was needed to effectively convey the emotion that inspired Strange Days. The record comes to a close with “For Katie,” clearly written to remember someone who had passed on, and “Drift,” which acts an extended outro with a simple piano, allowing the themes and emotions stirred up to sit with the listener one last time. The signature sound of Voicecoil could be best described as clean, catchy, and emotionally driven. Sousa’s talent in sound design, composition, and production is evident all throughout this record, and his talent as a vocalist creates a complete package of an album that acts as Voicecoil’s most personal and quintessential experience to date.
 
Track list:

1. Witness
2. If/When
3. Vesterbrogade
4. Speak in Sine
5. Above the Static
6. A Line in the Sand
7. No Easy Reply
8. Why
9. For Katie
10. Drift

 
Voicecoil
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Ryan H. (DoktorR)