Forming in Montreal’s glacial underground in 2011, Scene Noir has threaded twilight atmospheres through strands of dream pop, cold wave, and shadow-clad post-punk. Their newest offering, Supernatural, crystallizes their nocturnal allure into a six-track séance: equal parts celestial hymn and ghostly incantation. Fans who traverse the worlds of Cocteau Twins, Orbital, Regurgitator, and even Lou Reed will find their home here.
The record opens with “Underdose,” a lush cathedral of shoegaze alt-rock textures and choral majesty, soon dissolving into an alluringly cinematic blend of blues-inflected synthpop, reminiscent of David Lynch’s spectral visions. It sets an enigmatic tone, echoed by “Eyes Wide,” where Zola Jesus-style operatic crescendos and whispered intimations drift across percussive heartbeats, rendering an atmosphere that is simultaneously angelic and unsettling.
The album’s centerpiece, the title track “Supernatural,” plunges deepest into Scene Noir’s occult imaginations. Guitar lines sear the edges of ritualistic chants, while spectral whispers and shadowy spoken-word conjure an unearthly resonance. Lust follows, capturing the hypnotic minimalism of Suicide, weaving urgent poetic verses through motorik rhythms and intense, swelling synths.
Unclean delivers a thrilling discordance of shoegaze, subtle drum and bass, and icy goth: clicking, skeletal percussion underscores striking guitar solos that slice through layers of synth-driven dread. Scene Noir closes this nocturnal odyssey with Funeral, a gorgeous dual vocal dreampop lament steeped in Cocteau Twins-inspired harmonies and subtle R&B grooves. Tambourines shimmer faintly beneath waves of spectral melancholy, leaving listeners afloat in bittersweet reverie.
Produced by Andrew Velvet under his idreamidream alias, Supernatural masterfully infuses shoegaze beauty, techno heartbeat, and trip-hop shadowplay, marking Scene Noir’s most ambitious and emotionally charged work yet. For devotees of darkwave’s hazy realms and post-punk’s hidden corners, this is a release that rewards deep, repeated listens, revealing its mysteries slowly, in twilight glimmers.
Listen to Supernatural below and order the vinyl here.
Scene Noir started their journey in 2011 playing indie venues and festivals around their native Montreal. In 2012, Scene Noir opened for the UK’s darkwave/goth industrial Attrition on their Canadian tour. Supernatural follows the success of their 2021 full-length album Telegraph, the EPs Violent Summer and Masquerade, and the dreamy single The Color of Desire,
Scene Noir will be performing at the 3rd edition of the Montreal post-punk, shoegaze, darkwave Velouria Fest on September 13th at Turbo Haus.
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