EveningShade – Impulses Review

Sci-Fi synth horror you can dance to

EveningShade, the moniker for composer James Pinkstone has been releasing the four tracks to his EP Impulses throughout the back end of 2018. Now all four tracks are out, it seems the perfect time to review it.

EveningShade are everything you’d love about the music in Stranger Things or the creepy synth darkness of the It Follows soundtrack. Opening track ‘The Woods’ leans perfectly between the two with thick 80’s synths and beat snare drum slaps that give a dancefloor quality to the sci-fi noire horror. ‘There She Was’ reminds me of RPG after battle music with its two-chord circularly keyboard echo and militant drums. It’s very short and I’d have loved for the melody to expand. The best-named track on the EP is also my favourite. ‘Making Love to Sarah Connor’ has everything you want in a trip-hop 80’s synth uprising track. There’s no love, just dark sleek seduction and the faint whiff of bullets. It’s pretty epic and would fit most post-apocalyptic indie game soundtracks. The EP closes with ‘Passing in the Dark’ which focuses on a mini-riff that shivers out more metallic synths and throbbing kick drums. It’s suitably tense and an ambigious closer.

If I had a complaint, it would be that the entire EP clocks in at just eight minutes. The vibe is good, the layering and clever use of decay and reverb makes each track feel full and the dark tech-synth underworld tone works well. I look forward to hearing more from EveningShade in the future with hopefully a longer, wider palette of tunes.

Recommended track: Making Love to Sarah Connor

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If you have this release, you can comment with your own score below.

EveningShade - Impulses

7

Higher Plain Music Rating

7.0/10

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