Distel – Wapens

The Dutch Angst Pop duo Distel – formed by Peter Johan Nijland aka Æter and Scramasax – have come a long way during their career, developing a personal brand of music, in which experimentation, darkwave, noise, “art-pop” find a common ground. If their debut album Puur (Enfant Terrible, 2013) showcased a droning minimal sound with subtle atmospheres, the following Zand (Ant-Zen, 2015) strengthened their songwriting and cohesiveness, giving a cinematic feeling to their music, while keeping their characteristic approach. In the meanwhile, a series of EP and singles for labels like Enfant Terrible and Beläten gave them freedom in trying different takes on their formula, sharpening their skills.

Now their returns with their third album Wapens, called after the Dutch word for weapons , and also family crests or coats of arms. Using the words of the authors themselves, their intention while working on this album was to achieve a more direct, massive and monolithic sound than before, channeling most energy through an insistent impulse within the rhythmic and melodic movement, and make every other embellishment secondary. Listening to the album, we find catchy moments with a noir atmosphere and neo-classical synth sounds, enriched by spectral vocals capable of pathos and emotions.

Alpha is a perfect example of their new-found style, employing dramatic lines and strange but charming vocals in a sort of grandiose crescendo with orchestral movements and noisy anti-melodies. A kind of mutant synth-pop is here achieved, characterized by throbbing elements and uncommon structures. The Title track is even more nervous, showcasing distorted vocals and riffing bass-lines in a broken rhythm with an obsessive motif. The playfulness of their songwriting doesn’t mean they don’t take their music seriously, which instead comes off as enriched by it.

Anima is a collaboration with Zoé Zanias, starting with a technoid pattern upon which sparse rhythmic effects and crawling vocals are layered. The track evolves into a beautiful affair with old-school synths and the aid of female vocals, while keeping its chopped structures; during the second half it sees eerie soundscapes in an effective climax, without forfeiting its looping elements. Creole displays an electric tension made of dark atmospheres and ghostly vocals, using compulsive pulsations and brooding synths. Distorted sounds and fast snare drums guide us among the bleak but fascinating composition.

Nachtland is a minimal affair with organ-like synth melodies, a track reminiscent of their past with enigmatic atmospheres and distorted bass sounds. It follows a hypnotizing mantra, ready to climax during the second half of the track into a monolithic swarm with buzzing melodies and ethereal vocals – while the ending part sees an ambient tail with diaphanous and cosmic tones. Maskers return to “deviant-synth-pop” territories, employing melodic vocals and chopped rhythms upon frantic structures and syncopated motifs with minimal moments. The genius of their music is found once again, in a track changing course during its development without any regards for rules or boundaries.

Wapens is probably the most mature work of Distel to date, a personal album in which they go beyond the initial angst-pop tag, while keeping all the main elements of their music. A coherent, but unpredictable songwriting plays with evocative vocals, orchestral soundscapes and distorted sounds, achieving a narrative quality with cinematic undertones. Every track is like a story, a self-contained world, but at the same time the album works as a whole. Ant-Zen strikes again, presenting another work pushing forward the concept of experimental electronic music, and confirming its status as a leading label in the world of mature and well-thought dark electronics.

Label: Ant-Zen

Rating: 8,5