Mutiara Damansara - Annual Winter Depression (2022)

Mutiara Damansara are the "most famous French band in Malaysia" as their called their project after a township in this Asian country. But also Malaysia is quite known for their metal and post-rock scene so the "music for sad people in their 30s", as the artists call it themselves, should appeal to their Asian fans as well. As it is the case with their new release Annual Winter Depression.

The album has a long history. It was first recorded "in 2010 when Mutiara Damansara was one-person band and Charlize was only 17 years old", then a second version came out in 2016 but only the third version from this year satisfied the artists. And I have to agree with them. The additional synths make their music smooth and extremely satisfying, a perfect rendition of blackgaze's essence. In their music, I can hear something from their compatriots of Alcest (especially in the usage of synths) but the vocals are way more into the more post-metal instances of the genre. The "shoegazed" black metal screams sound utterly melancholic and, for me, this is blackgaze's ultimate goal.

It gets weirder when the "clear" vocals come from time to time. I must say, I'm not a fan. But the synth-guitar bliss that dominates the soundscape clearly makes up for this in my ears. This summer, the duo continues their career with a new album called Pearls and I'm very curious how it will turn out.

Annual Winter Depression costs 1 EUR.

Check: Annual Winter Depression

Country: France

Genre: atmospheric blackgaze

Label: Bonne Santé Records

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