Released on: 11th September 2020
Tom Shear is really hitting it out of the park with new album Mourn. And where it was previously described as phenomenal (on Bandcamp) that statement is nothing short of true. Because Mourn is a preternatural soundscape filled with succinct vulnerability and transparent assertions– lyrically. With this in mind and accompanied by wonderfully crafted synths, that weave and bob like ghosts in a copper fire, the amalgamation of which hits like electronic substance abuse, there really is beauty in suffering.
Assemblage 23 takes onus for whatever tragedy Tom has inflicted on his notepad and forges a compelling reserve of emotion. The opening track Epiphany alone breaches the distance between artist and listener. Causing an emphatic bulb to well in at least this listeners throat. The narrative of Mourn is mostly introspective but it touches on commonalities so ingrained in today’s’ first world problems that it speaks volumes. Even if it is mastered near perfection.
For the most part Mourn continues to deliver arresting rhythms coupled with buoyant leads. Where it follows up the incredibly potent opening with a good few hot floor killers before cooling down to a simmer of transitional fillers, only to burst out again like a geyser in a tepid fjord. It is a charming album that leaves you satisfied and fulfilled.
Mourn is an intelligent and thoughtful album; An effective and candid article on modern life. And Toms’ maturity is a welcome voice in an industry over saturated with excessively flamboyant plumage. But with over twenty years of always on par or below records you are bound to learn a thing or two and Toms’ perseverance, and diligence, makes Assemblage 23 synonymous with darkwave.
8/10
