“This Is Not Art” is a brand-new full-length album by SVYNX, released today via all streaming platforms. After heavily promoting this material with “Art Won’t Save Me Now,” “Harvest Season,” “Europa,” and “Follow Me,” four exceptional tracks accompanied by eye-peeing videos and visualizers, this outstanding German duo decided to indulge listening apparatuses of all music enthusiasts looking for cleverly assembled and flawlessly performed music by providing additional three songs that sound equally good like promotional singles. Together, they represent a marvelous full-length release that carries some of the best ideas and impressive orchestrations you’ll hear this year. Now, SVYNX is all about breaking the rules and shapeshifting the boundaries of conventional and non-conventional music, so “This Is Not Art” is all about that. Their writing, composing, arranging, and producing abilities unquestionably showcase their otherwordly vision, so this material carries many jaw-dropping moments where their skills challenge your reason.
Soundwise, “This Is Not Art” sounds fresh, unique, innovative, diverse yet nostalgic and familiar. Anyone writing, producing, and performing music knows that’s a difficult task to achieve, but it seems like SVYNX does it with such ease. With their distinctive vision on stake, it’s vividly notable that their sonic expression demands an amalgamation of many different but complementary music genres. Perhaps alternative rock comes to mind but many other rock subgenres lurk around. You’ll notice how they incorporated post-hardcore, post-rock, progressive rock, math rock noise rock, indie rock, garage, and many more, but their experimentation doesn’t stop there. Quite the contrary, there are incorporations of some of the finest sonic ingredients borrowed from hyperpop, synth, and electronic music. Still, the band primarily focuses on analog guitar sound, with subtle nods to synthetic ambiances. It’s needless to say these experimentations sound exciting, challenging, and impressive from scratch to finish, as these experienced musicians poured heart and soul into their magnificent full-length album.
Each composition brings some surprises to the table, and just when you think you’ve heard and seen everything, SVYNX finds its ways to amaze you even more. As soon as you press play, “Art Won’t Save Me Now” slaps you directly in the face with a cinematic ambient overture empowered with the vocoder and catchy synth leads. The band quickly incorporates powerful guitar riffs, outstanding vocal harmonies, and intricate drumming patterns. These are the moments where their progressive rock, math rock, and post-hardcore qualities shine in the limelight, as these skilled musicians invested some of the finest ideas and instrumentations into it. Their profound love for complex instrumentations and odd-time signatures continues with “Follow Me,” another standout composition where heavily distorted low-ends immensely help out magnificent rhythmic sequences. The impressive vocal range seamlessly balances low, mid, and high notes, emphasizing all the segments and instrumentations while additional back vocals and singalongs add more depth and emotion. The guitar gradually builds a colossal wall of sound that gives the anthemic qualities while providing heaviness and power to an already intricate ambiance.
“Harvest Season” commences with reverby, jangly, arpeggiated chord progressions, which serve as a perfect intro to such an incredible track. The incorporation of equally detailed, vividly hearable, warm-sounding basslines offers more heftiness, clearness, and deepness while binding those orchestrations with half-time beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics. Once again, the vocals command attention and guide listeners through each section while the subtle but complex synths deliver calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal ambiances. It’s a calm track that delivers a nearly cathartic listening experience, but it’s equally challenging as the remainder of the material. SVYNX returns to more dynamic waters with “Feed Me,” a magnificent showcase of their creativity, ideas, and musicianship. This piece commences with orchestral vibes, gradually introducing progressive and math rock sonic maneuvers while the additional synth ambiances, cleverly assembled chord progressions, and powerful drumming present a fine ground between early naughty post-hardcore, post-punk, and indie music. It’s a wisely and tastefully arranged composition that once again showcases SVYNX’s diversity.
“Europa” dives even deeper into post-hardcore and progressive rock aesthetics, as this piece demonstrates their heavier side. There are bold, tight, heavy riffs pervading from all the possible sides while the band slows a pace with equally raw, abrasive, distorted basslines, and more odd-time rhythmic sequences. The guitars offer a catchy, memorable, engaging, hypnotic, and addictive theme that lurks around continuously while the magnificent riffs punch during the particular segments. The rhythm section immensely supports these virtuosities, providing a sense of unison, stability, and power. It’s one of the best tracks off this material, and a serious contender for one of the best post-hardcore, math rock tracks of the year. “Never At Ease” slowly signifies closure with another dosage of calm, soothing, ethereal cinematic ambient sonic maneuvers, delivered on reverby, semi-distorted guitars. The vocals deliver another impressive performance, balancing from immensely high to deep low notes with such precision and finesse. Like other tracks, this one also gradually builds a complex atmosphere where all the instruments begin with subtle orchestration but then transcend into more complex virtuosities supported by the divine ambiental moments. It’s a perfect composition suitable for even the pickiest post-rock fans. The additional female vocal performance elevates this track to new heights, offering a fresh outlook on an already divine music experience. “This Is Not Art” closes with “Alexandria,” another fine piece of sonic artistry worth spinning over and over again. Just when you thought SVYNX would leave some calm, ambiental song as a closure, the band surprises with another barrage built upon progressive orchestrations delivered by each instrument. From excellent vocal harmonies and profoundly intricate guitar works to a powerful rhythm section, “Alexandria” makes a clear statement about the SVYNX brilliance. It’s another standout of this marvelous full-length.
Bands like SVYNX are considered a rarity nowadays. In a world where musicians and enthusiasts are satisfied with basic four-chord progressions and moderate rhythmic patterns, these experienced musicians decided to uplift the scene on an entirely new level, raise the stakes, and challenge musical conformity with a masterpiece. Their brilliance shines during each moment, thanks to their brilliant ideas and impressive musicianship. These folks poured heart and soul into it, making “This Is Not Art” one of the best recordings ever made. You should place their album on the radar as soon as possible. Don’t miss it!
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