On Illusory Things, Lowell’s Darkwave genius Fatigue enter the next stage of their Electro evolution with eleven aural arias of awesome sure to cause a palpitation or two within your Gothic black heart. Written and recorded following surgery and while in self-quarantine (Sounds like the start of my 2020 as well), Fatigue return with a dense full-length that’s lush with futuristic soundscapes and macabre melodies.
Mechanical and foreboding, “Outro” begins the debut full-length from Fatigue before the cold and calculated “Embrace” enters with every note impacting with intent. While traversing a number of styles, “Embrace” then becomes this twisted carnival with Lillian Edith Martin serving as your ringleader before transforming into a swaying Electro waltz during the chorus.
“Bleach” bounces with an almost religious aplomb as a hypnotic refrain of “This is likely to resolve itself” from Martin permeates before the song devolves into a beats-driven jam session. “Lovesick” comes in with a programmed groove and a magical, almost childlike innocence….kind of like a nursery rhyme with a mechanical voice like a Speak and Spell or WOPR from WarGames making the whole affair devious yet delightful overall.
“Trapt” is driven by pulses and Martin’s voice piercing through the electronic haze while later, “O Structure” sashays in like it’s the coolest thing on here (And that’s on an album full of “cool things”). This ditty was made to be played at loud volumes through headphones as it tingles and tantalizes, bridging over into an expansive synthetic world.
“Turning Point” gets back to the beat in a throbbing, playful Dance anthem made for the next Xmortis (That’s a local Goth night for all you non-Boston/Cambridge readers) followed closely by “All My Friends” which continues the playfulness but this time with a healthy dose of propulsive beats. “Mundane Apocalypse” thrives in dissonance before a glossy Electro sheen invades and the track thumps along towards penultimate “Steal My Body” which is shapely and static before the Gothic dirge of “No Funeral” closes out Illusory Things in the most somber and appropriate way possible with a string accompaniment to accent the mood.
Illusory Things arrives on August 7th. Pre-orders will be ready soon and available for your listening pleasure when you click here, here, or here. For the latest on Fatigue, follow the digital footprint across the web by clicking here or here.