Akinesia is a term for the loss of the ability to move your muscles voluntarily. Although often a symptom of neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, the condition is also a part of sleep paralysis, whereupon the dreamer finds themselves powerless to move.
This is the impetus behind the eerie song UK/Estonian darkwave outfit Deathsomnia wrote, “Akinesia”, from their forthcoming album You Will Never Find Peace. This, in turn, has led to a collaboration with darkwave darlings She Past Away, who have just released a stellar remix. The group takes Deathsomnia’s haunting, brooding track and reworks it into She Past Away’s trademark sound: dance-y, dreamy, and dark post-punk.
The subject is apt in today’s difficult environment of collective consciousness and global unrest. As everything overwhelms the human condition so heavily, from political upheaval, to global pandemic, to environmental crisis, one feels powerless to move forward in their own life. The song is a reflection of the individual’s own intense, involuntary physical reaction, between the states of wakefulness and sleep.
“The song’s origin points are night terrors and sleep paralysis, where reality becomes a distortion and the body is contained and powerless,” says vocalist Kadri Sammel. “In a state of fear and disorder, a primordial dichotomous perception guides the way, birthing demons.”
The creative synergy between Deathsomnia’s multi-instrumentalist members —Sammel, Richard Powley (Telepathy), and Bruno Russo — and their diverse musical backgrounds, drives the force behind You Will Never Find Peace’s unique dystopian genre-bending originality. Their groovy riffs and crashing percussions draw influences from Wipers, Dead Moon, Health, and Godflesh; the beguiling vocal melodies are dressed with Depeche Mode and Primal Scream undertones.
The collaboration with She Past Away comes ahead of the two bands’ upcoming joint European tour in 2021/2022.
“Being invited by She Past Away to support them all over Europe is an honour, and having them come through to re-work one of our songs just tops it all — not only because She Past Away is an undeniable influence, but also because they don’t do these kinds of collaborations often,” says Deathsomnia. “We are super happy with how they turned a heavy, gloomy song into a beautiful melancholic anthem full of melody.”
“We took an unconventional approach to surprise all of our followers,” says She Past Away.
Listen to the She Past Away Remix of “Akinesia” below:
Deathsomnia’s debut album You Will Never Find Peace is out on September 3rd.
The album is available for pre-order now here.
See Deathsomnia on tour this year and next in Europe and the U.K. with She Past Away, Godflesh and others (dates below).
* w/ She Past Away
^ w/ Godflesh
% w/ Zetra and Naut
Follow Deathsomnia:
Cover photo by: Marton Bodnar.
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