Bands

Melbourne Synthpop Project Static’s Earnest and Nostalgic “Fading Away” EP

Melbourne synthpop project Static has released an earnest and wistful new three-track EP, Fading Away. The mastermind, Joseph Ling, formed Static as a solo project in late 2019 when his main band had downtime but evolved into a full-time focus. Bold bass lines coupled with stringent and syncopated drum beats are the foundation on which warm atmospheric synths are layered. Static embraces dark, melancholic cold wave influences with the spirit of punk energy throughout.

Fading Away delves more into the pop realm than Ling’s previous efforts, although the 80s-inspired synths overflow with their trademark sentiment and melancholy. Static has a nostalgic twist: a synth construction similar to S U R V I V E, a revisitation of the oeuvre of vintage sci-fi scores, Ling’s soaring, heartfelt vocals bringing to mind The The’s Matt Johnson or a new wave Midnight Oil. Elements of Black Marble, Molchat Doma, Electric Youth, and Joy Division can be heard in their sound; although Ling steers the music toward the cinematic. Lurking beneath the bleak soundscapes, the sense of energy and momentum courses throughout his music through bold basslines, minimalist drumming, and atmospheric synths.

“I wanted to write something that sounded like it could be from the soundtrack to a John Hughes movie or Stranger Things… but sadder,” he remarks.

You can also stream the album on Spotify.

Follow Static:

Alice Teeple

Alice Teeple is a photographer, multidisciplinary artist, and writer. She is not in Tin Machine.

Recent Posts

Amsterdam’s Automatic Noise Festival Returns This Spring with Svart Ridå, Sun Mahshene, Attic Ocean, and L’orne

Amsterdam's Automatic Noise Festival 2024 is set to deliver an immersive shoegaze experience once again…

2 hours ago

Perestroika Offers Up a Slice of Dance Heaven With “Foreign Keys”

The newest offering from the Montreal-based band, Perestroika, is a slice of dance heaven. Members…

2 hours ago

Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder — Dark Songstress Julia Gaeta Debuts Video for “Blur Divine”

In the winding paths of love gone awry, where affection veers from its blissful beginnings,…

2 hours ago

No Mountains, No Horizon | An Interview With Simon Huw Jones of And Also the Trees

British-born, rural-centric post-punk project And Also the Trees has been a forever favorite for us…

6 hours ago

Berlin’s Curses Signs to Italians Do It Better and Releases New Single ‘Elegant Death”

Don't try to tell me I haven't seen death before It's always knocking Knocking at…

16 hours ago

Johnny Dynamite & The Blood Suckers Debut New Single “Straitjacket Summer Love” Ahead of Spring Tour

We may be crazy How could it be? You couldn't try to get over me…

22 hours ago