I have been an admirer of the project that is Scenius for some months now, having reviewed their first single back in March this year – “Glass Rain”. Since then they have been periodically releasing material as they build to their debut album which will hopefully be out before the end of the year. The band consists of Steve Whitfield (producer and member of post-punk outfit Klammer) and Fabrice Nau who provides the vocals on the tracks released to date.
The last single “Held” was something of a departure from the sound of their first two singles and probably my least favourite to date on initial listen. However, since I wrote that review earlier this year the song has grown on me significantly. I suspected that this was an attempt by the band to demonstrate that they had a real breadth to their material and this very much showcased this – appearing in my playlist very often has also given it a new dimension for me. Anyway, enough about their previous material and on with their latest release.
“Darkest Lines” sits very nicely in the electro-pop genre – it is melodic and mesmerising in a way that makes you feel this is a band you’ve been listening to for many years. It feels comfortable to listen to and familiar but altogether new at the same time. There are clearly nods to the era of the late 1970s and early 1980s as you would expect but the sound is modern and the production is leading edge – they really could be leading us in a new direction musically and I don’t say that lightly. Scenius could be as important a movement as Kraftwerk were back in the previous era.
A special mention has to be made on the vocal: it is flawless, stunning, with just the perfect amount of melancholy attached to it. The collaboration with Whitfield’s production and Nau’s vocal really brings this track to life. Within three or four plays I am already singing along to the soundtrack and swaying along in my chair as I write this review – a true sign that this track is something special and probably my favourite of their releases to date. The sudden ending to the song also enhances the track for me, something made famous by the likes of John Lennon and Bowie in days gone by – adding that touch of nostalgia is genius.
I honestly cannot remember being so excited by an upcoming debut album release – it is many years since there has been a project that I have been more enthusiastic about. I hear a lot of new music but Scenius have done something special with their four single releases – I don’t know if there will be a fifth before the album but I do hope so. For anyone who hasn’t come across Scenius as yet, I would very much recommend checking out their releases to date – this collaboration could easily be the most influential in this genre for 20 years.
“Darkest Lines” was released on 26th June.
Reviewer - John Fish
on - 3/8/20
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