After a long hiatus of seven years, the now 4-piece Olen’k, founded in Limoges, France back in 1999, have returned with their self-released 4th studio album titled “Architextures”.
Produced by Remy Pelleschi, of the French electro/synth-wave one-man-band Mlada Fronta, their original rich and eclectic dark sound, spanning darkwave, new wave, trip-hop, synth-pop, ethnic and folk, has become more electronic and danceable, characterized by the absence of bass/guitar and the introduction of strings, striking an effective balance between beat and melody, brighter and genuine but not without gloomy undertones.
The title-track, “Architextures”, is a storming electro burner with a distinctive French charm, about loss, ageing and pain. Driven by shimmering synth pulses, rumbling bass grooves and pounding drum patterns, creating a hypnotic overwhelming vibrations reaching all the inner corners of the mind and body. Grainy, robotic vocals come in waves as if across a broken transmitter, and the clashing, haunting post-apocalyptic, cyberpunk rhythms kick in for a sinister and foreboding finale, while transporting you to the sweaty realms of a dark basement club dancefloor.
Modern, fascinating and utterly addictive…is no small thing after such a long absence.
The amazing visuals show a man struggling almost to the brink of insanity with ever-growing physical limitations. He does not want to accept that his body has failed him and that he needs a wheelchair to continue on. Feeling deformed, excruciating pain, and embarrassed he hears laughter from others as he struggles with his new identity. Trying to separate himself from his ageing body, he finally surrenders and feels a part of things again.
Artwork for Synckop
