The last time I featured Menthüll, they had just released Parade, a New Order inspired electro stomper. It is great to have them back, especially as the new recording CERAMICA hits me right in my shadowy sweet spot. As a longtime goth with a penchant for moody synths and melancholic elegance, this track feels tailor-made for me.
The darkwave duo from Hull, Québec, who formed in 2020, sing in both English and French, though language hardly matters when the atmosphere is this rich. Their sound is downbeat and brooding, yet the vocals cut through with a fresh, clean clarity that’s almost uplifting. It’s like staring at a black and white photograph: stark, beautiful, and quietly intense.
CERAMICA doesn’t try to overwhelm with a bombastic need for attention; it lingers, like fog on glass. The synths pulse gently, the rhythm restrained and the emotion, provided by multi-layered vocals, simmering just beneath. It’s the style of music that makes me want to light a candle, pull on a big, black coat and disappear into the twilight. Menthüll’s gloomy approach is exactly the kind of sonic poetry in sound that I crave. A real treat.
Here's the accompanying video, which captures everything wonderfully in a visual sense.