Australia’s DSM-V, a creative consortium, flourishes under the versatile talents of Marc Dwyer (Buzz Kull) and Morgan Wright (Burning Rose Records, Pelvis Records, Acopia). Their collaboration was a natural progression, ignited after their respective performances shared a stage, culminating in a beautiful alliance to craft enthralling electronic music canvases.
Their collaborative energy results in a wonderful combination, blending the bright tones of EBM and Nu Beat, with the subtle poetry of melodic synth-driven post-punk. The final product is a harmonious mixture, skillfully balancing introspective thoughts with the allure of the dance floor.
Emerging from the electro-mystic depths, the hypnotic (if slightly unnerving) new single, “No Sign of Life,” teases their forthcoming inaugural album, “Life Is Done,” set for release on September 8th via Third Coming Records (Paris). “No Sign of Life” is an austere, eerie concoction of nu beat and dark pop, armed with the rhythmic arsenal of EBM, bringing to mind early Ministry, Soft Cell, and 80s sci-fi scores from Tangerine Dream and Vangelis. The track ascends on an escalator of unyielding intensity yet concurrently explores the more tender, elusive echoes of club music. Driven by melancholic, abrasive electronics, gated reverbs, and FM bass lines, “No Sign of Life” is a stark testament to the duo’s ability to create a powerful sound that manoeuvres between the harsh and the hazy with delicate finesse.
Order the Life Is Done LP below, available on streaming and, soon, black vinyl.
Listen below and order here:
Life is Done was mixed by Cameron Findlay (Kontravoid).
Emerging from the depths of the Australian underground, DSM-V is a testament to the cooperative intuition that Dwyer and Wright cultivated as they graced stages in unison. The inception of Life is Done traces back to the idyllic landscapes of Crete, Greece, in 2019.
“The songs were written at a time where we felt lost in a world without hope,” explains Dwyer.
When the pandemic ushered in a time of seclusion, separating Dwyer and Wright in Sydney and Melbourne, the ensemble found themselves in a unique position to finalize the album in isolation. As often is the case, desperate and alienated times birth desperate, alienated music – and their record is no exception.
This body of work stands as a brave confrontation to the overlapping narratives of loss, pain, and anguish. However, within these echoic chambers of emotional intensity, a paradoxical longing for dance floor catharsis persists. In their solitude, DSM-V has managed to capture a soundtrack for tumultuous times.
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