Mayflower Madame photo by Sven Santelmann
On March 27, 2020, Norwegian post-punkers Mayflower Madame (Oslo) let out their new album ‘Prepared far A Nightmare’ via Only Lovers Records. Comprised of 10 tracks, this album is a grandiose indeed effort in a magnificent release that brings up the utterly newfangled-sounded post-punk music. Being accustomed to the Scandinavian perfectionist production approach in this genre, this album sounds now like setting new standards on the creation of the real compact-sounding audio. And more than this, when you have in the studio an outfit such as Mayflower Madame then the whole outcome will be a record so grande and so unique in all.
Following the ‘Premonition’ EP in 2018 which was a 4-track collection of ‘apocalyptic’ love songs that led the band to the airports, the new album comes from a way beyond songwriting style in maximum output. And if you also put in the band’s adventurous character then you have, simply, one of the best albums already in 2020. Here, in ‘Prepared For A Nightmare’ LP, not only they’ll put their post-punk musings on the darkwave wed, but they’ll also start swinging it with some blows that are coming from the shoegaze slope (‘Sacred Core’) while another breeze coming from the dark rock riffing style shall make it all also sound like a bit more ‘crystalized’ (‘Goldmine’, ‘A Future Promise’ or ‘Vultures’). This last song that I mentioned came up as the first single of the album earlier on February 6 with a very cool video to accompany it! Partly inspired by the art of George Grosz and Hieronymus Bosch, the video for which includes live footage of the band and a dance sequence by Norwegian drag artist Remi Johansen Hovda.
Here is also ‘Goldmine’ as I was telling you before!
After these two glories, Mayflower Madame came up with a second single before the official release date of the album, and it was the song ‘Swallow’. A darkly sinister single that shows a dark and distinctive blend of post-punk, shoegaze and psychedelia, while the video was filmed in Oslo and Niagara Falls, directed by Astrid Serck, to visualize the mood of the song, using both symbolic images and color effects!
After these three songs that I gave you I don’t think that you’ll need another one to convince you of the band’s quality and the stunning shape they are in. But I’d like to give a few more tracks to focus on, if there are any as the whole album is a marvel of sonic ‘episodes’. Try the opener and the homonym song of the album, ‘Prepared For A Nightmare’, which is like getting steadily in their tunnel. ‘Ludwig Meidner’ because it is near the middle of the record and a song which ‘explains’ some of the rest that is coming along the way, actually may be the first ‘threat’ in the audition. Try both ‘Never Turning (In Time)’ and ‘The Night Before’ as they are the most laid back tunes in the album, as they are placed in the foggiest sweet spots of Mayflower’s psyche. And what can I say about ‘Endless Simmer’ which closes the album! This song is a noire post-punk bullet and it sounds like the best channel to their next release!
There you have it, people! It was impossible for me not to mention all the 10-tracks in this fantastic album and now it is yours, come on!!! Last, I’d like to say that due to the global CoronaAttack, Mayflower Madame cancelled all their upcoming shows. If you love music and if you really love artists then you know what to do, right?! These are all independent bands in independent labels and they need us to survive this nasty situation. So, be careful with it all, help each other, and turn it all loud!!!
Keep up with Mayflower Madame:
Mayflower Madame photo by Sven Santelmann
Written by Loud Cities Mike
