By Katy Knal May
https://syzygy-x.bandcamp.com/album/fading-bodies
Hometown: Washington DC
Label: Cold Transmission/Negative Gain
Members: Luna Blanc and Josh Clark
Fading Bodies is the latest release by the incredibly fun, yet dark electronic, synth-wave, alternative rock group, S Y Z Y G Y X. This album slaps? Did I use that right? I’m not super hip with what the kids say, but this album is fantastic. Basically, it sounds like what a strobe light looks like. The chaos of it all is overwhelming but in an exciting way. Waves of synth smash you in the face until there’s nothing left to do but submit and dance your ass off.
WARNING: THIS ALBUM WILL GIVE YOU GOOSEBUMPS AND IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART….
Fading Bodies is the most terrifyingly fun music I’ve heard all year. It’s electronic, industrial, alternative, and it is chilling. With the electronic genre on lock down, S Y Z Y G Y X adds darkness that is truly eerie and disorienting, but exciting. Every song has an addicting beat, a ton of texture, and catchy riffs that listeners get hooked on.
Luna’s vocals are haunting and the synth lines are cosmic. Josh’s beats and synth lines bring it all together. Their ability to work together is utterly cosmic, hints their band name. When I mentioned waves of synth smashing you in the face, I mean, like, the entire ocean swallowing you whole. Don’t let the fluid feel fool you though, whether it be drums or synth, there will be saw waves there that cut like a knife reminding you that you’re alive! Even after listening to all fifteen tracks, I was left wanting more.
Some favorite tracks
Die Like A Rockstar – This song starts out like an 80’s rocker with a pulsating synth and addicting beat. In this track, Luna’s breathy vocals are clear as she talks about a sexy “rockstar”. At first, you think this is going to be some typical pop-rock, synth-wave song, but then a creepy synth line happens right before unpredictable changes in melody. These dynamics keep you engaged the entire time in its complexities.
Times Are Hard for Dreamers– This song starts out with a synth line that sends chills down my spine every time. I love this track because as soon as everything kicks in, it’s like a vintage video game soundtrack. It’s so exciting! Whenever there’s a rest on the drums, I get a swelling feeling in my chest waiting for the bass to drop. This track also uses roto toms and I kind of lose my shit every time I hear them.
Pins and Needles– Immediately, this song cuts you to pieces with synthesizer and bass. This song is probably my favorite song to awkwardly dance to on the whole album. It’s fast with a lot of twists and turns that are unpredictable, tense, and otherwise emotionally evocative. It creates the perfect amount of tension to lead into the final track, Fury, which relieves all that built-up tension almost immediately.
I’m a huge fan of synth-driven music, so this album was right down my alley. Beyond being a banger of an album with song after song of incredible music that’s easy to dance to, this album takes the capabilities of synthesizers to the next level. I really enjoyed this entire album from beginning to end. If you like bands like NIN, Eurythmics, Synergy, Kraftwerk, or generally like anything which is amazing and features top-notch synth work, you have check this out.