Review Summary: Who doesn't love a darkly danceable, atmospherically gothic pop album?
Synthpop and darkwave are both genres that I have a love-hate relationship with. When they hit, for me, they really hit. Lush beats, foggy atmospheres and all of the like are really my cup of tea no matter what genre of music I happen to be into at a specific moment, but sometimes, they can sound like a jumbled mess. When these genres hit for me, they REALLY hit, but oftentimes I find myself wanting more. Zanias is an Australian artist, raised in Southeast Asia before relocating to Berlin, that has evaded me up to this point, but going through her discography in preparation for this review, I'm finding her to be one of the most uniquely gorgeous artists in her genre realm. I brought up synthpop and darkwave because Zanias’ music is a mashup of both genres (while also adding in some creepy gothic elements) and her third full-length album,
Unearthed, is one of the best examples I've found in these genres thus far in my music listening/critiquing experience.
The main thing that I took away from this album as a whole is that it strikes the perfect balance between danceable, more mainstream-sounding club bangers and brooding, darker, atmospheric tracks. Walking that line really gives Zanias the power to do whatever she likes and it works out in both favors. At times it feels like you're in a high-class nightclub, dancing the night away and having a great time, drinking and socializing and living your best life. Other times, it gives off vibes of being in a dark, dingy dive bar jamming some underground live tunes. Tracks such as ‘Unfathomed’, ‘Unearthed’, ‘Unsaid’, ‘Untamed’ and ‘Unturned’ are atmospheric and gothic-inspired, bringing forth that darkwave sound better than most. Then you have tracks like ‘Unraveled’, ‘Untethered’, ‘Unseen’, ‘Undreamt’ and ‘Unbound’ that really bring to life the bombastic synthpop vibes with luxurious atmospheres and bouncy beats.
This type of music isn't always my cup of tea. Similar to metal, you have tons of artists trying the exact same things, but every once in a while you'll have one that really stands above the rest of the pack and
Unearthed is one of those albums. As I mentioned earlier, the sheer balance between the artsy synthpop and gothic darkwave sounds is absolutely to die for. Half of the album follows one trend while the other half follows another, but Zanias never sacrifices the flow of making one solid piece of art. If you're a fan of either of these genres, you'd be hard pressed to find something not to enjoy about this particular album. I'm very much looking forward to continuing my journey into Zanias’ discography and I hope you all will join me!
