Midnight Passage’s debut album, Sleepwalker, reflects the anxiety and tumult of their world today. Hailing from Voronezh, Russia, the duo of Yegor Melnik aka Melnigore and Nikita Theodorov aka St Theodore, came together in 2020 to form Midnight Passage from opposite ends of the music spectrum—Melnigore came from the melodic punk and shoegaze scenes while St Theodore is known for his work in the EBM and acid world.
Sleepwalker retains the timeless post-punk melancholy tension—that sound of bleakness awash in desire–within the six track mini LP that was released in May of this year. Written on vintage drum machines, FM synths and guitars, there’s a serenity to the album’s minimalism that is best exemplified in the opening track, “Desire.” Melnigore’s vocals are impactful as he sings, If you can’t help but cry, just call my name in the night / I can show you the light.
Each song retains a sense of danceability that’s derived from Midnight Passage’s classic post-punk influence—bands such as For Against, Cocteau Twins and Fad Gadget are heard throughout Sleepwalker. The guitar on “Charmer of Snakes” could be taken straight from French coldwavers, Little Nemo, while the sorrow and beauty found within “Silhouette” recalls the epic song structures of Asylum Party.
Sleepwalker tugs at the heartstrings and won’t let go. Buy now via Bandcamp.
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