Normandie – Dark & Beautiful Secrets CD (Easy Life Records)

Here’s some more modern post-hardcore music for your listening pleasure. This CD recently arrived at our headquarters, among many others, but somehow I put it aside and awaited the appropriate moment to post a review about it. I admit this is the first time I am stumbling upon this Swedish band, but as far as I am informed, they’re enormously popular among the newer generations of post-hardcore fans. Dark & Beautiful Secrets is the third full-length release by Normandie. Previously, the band has published a self-titled extended play release and two albums, Ingus and White Flag. Of course, an impressive amount of singles come in between, so it seems Normandie are always heavily promoting their upcoming recordings.

Dark & Beautiful Secrets is their third full-length and the latest material they’ve put out. Both the band and record label promoted this material with Atmosphere, Jericho, Holy Water, Babylon, and Hostage, five exceptional compositions that serve as appropriate introductory pieces. These numbers showcase what you might expect from Dark & Beautiful Secrets, but there are many other songs included that deserve your utmost attention. Of course, that only means if you’re profoundly into contemporary post-hardcore sound heavily drenched in the modern alternative, indie, and pop aesthetics. These guys combine all these elements like pros, but I firmly believe Dark & Beautiful Secrets might not be up your alley if you get used to that classic early nineties post-hardcore sound.

Perhaps it has more to do with the way these tracks were produced than because of the ideas invested into this material. The band included many good ideas, and musicianship goes beyond comprehension many times throughout the entire album. Still, sometimes you’ll get the impression that modern production suppresses the dynamics. Of course, forget what I said if you love all those contemporary trends in music production because Dark & Beautiful Secrets burst with those qualities from scratch to finish. You’ll hear all vocal parts, background singalongs, themes, melodies, harmonies, basslines, and analog and sampled rhythmic structures. Each composition possesses so many qualities it’s difficult to grasp them all. Normandie pays so much attention to anthemic choruses, which are probably one of the heaviest weapons of this band. Those singalongs are immensely helping these choruses to shine even brighter in the mix, and Dark & Beautiful Secrets carries so many of those moments where you will catch yourself singing along. Dark & Beautiful Secrets is available on CD and streaming platforms. Head to Easy Life Records web store to order a physical release.