Sewerslvt - Draining Love Story

One of the most intense albums of 2020...

26th January 2020

Independent

My Rating:

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8.6

/10

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REVIEW

I suppose there's a certain irony to be had in the fusion of two genres renown for their lack of emotionality creating one of the most emotionally potent albums of the year, but in many ways that's just another selling point to this album's masterful nature.

Imagine drum & bass music had a head on collision with vaporwave. Imagine, due to this accident, that the resulting carnage was depressed and angry and having an emotional meltdown. Now imagine this strange fusion of things decided to make an album. This is that album, and its every bit as intense and unstable as it sounds. What Sewerslvt has done here is not only create one of the best albums of the year, but create one of the most emotionally resonant.

So many other electronic artists fail to capture the emotional complexity (or sometimes just any emotion at all) that other artists working in other genres find so natural, but what is it about Sewerslvt's mostly instrumental music that rises above the rabble and succeeds where so many others fail? Well, I think it's partly due to how despite being comprised of "instrumentals", a lot of these songs have some form of vocals. Of course, there isn't a single moment of singing here, but the spoken word of "Ecifircas" is probably the best example of how creatively lyrics are included on the album, not just thrown over the top as an extra layer but integrated and fundamental to the workings of each song, and to the grander narrative. What is that grander narrative?...well if anything it's...pain.

That's how I see things anyway, with the high intensity hardcore breakbeats adding huge amounts of calculated tension, whilst the oppressive ambience haunts the background of every song, the shuddering basslines leading the charge on your ears. This is an album that, once you're past the intro, wastes no time in hitting you and hitting you hard, the thunderous beats of "Newlove" offering the first taste of what the album is really about. This is an album not to be missed out on...

TRACK RATINGS (/10)

1. Love Is A Mighty Big Word - 6

2. Newlove - 10

3. Yandere Complex - 10

4. Ecifircas - 8

5. Lexapro Delirium - 9

6. This Fleeting Feeling - 7

7. Swinging In His Cell - 6

8. Mr. Kill Myself - 8

9. Down The Drain - 8

10. Slowdeath - 7

BREAKDOWN

Ambition: 9

Atmosphere: 10

Catchiness/Enjoyability: 8

Content/Ideas: 9

Emotion/Engaging: 9

Execution: 8

Production: 9

Structure: 7

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Aesthetic: 8

Arrangements: 9

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Total: 86

Check out "Newlove"

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