Let’s be honest, when someone mentions post-punk, you immediately think of jangly guitars, loud basslines, and groovy beats, but what if I told you there are bands that managed to escape cliches and create a distinctive sound that goes far beyond anything you could stumble upon in the contemporary scene nowadays? Surely, there are artist and bands willing to experiment with various music genres, but somehow, they always end up experimenting too much by overly implementing various influences or mimicking their favorite artists. But, on the other hand, there are bands like Siren Section who have found a sweet spot that simultaneously embraces everything you dearly love about post-punk while simultaneously exploring uncharted sonic territories. Their latest piece of work, “Separation Team,” showcases a fresh, unique, innovative, exciting side of post-punk music without sounding repetitive and predictable. Quite the contrary, as you dive deeper into these compositions, “Separation Team” sounds even more luxuriant, complex, and fascinating. Besides the dominant presence of all fundamental post-punk elements, you’ll also stumble upon some other styles that unquestionably enhance, accentuate, and decorate this marvelous album. Throughout the impressive collection, you’ll notice all those ingredients that define styles such as shoegaze, alternative, indie, new wave, dream pop, synth pop, IDM, various electronic music genres, and cinematic ambient. All these music genres are solely responsible for why this album sounds so luxurious, diverse, ethereal, and otherworldly.
With each upcoming composition, Siren Section found their way to impress you even more, and just when you thought you heard everything they have on their disposal, they amaze you even more. Each track arrives with a perfect structure, fully stacked with profoundly detailed segments, brilliant ideas, and marvelous instrumentations. And they totally play on the diversity of those songs, but somehow, “Separation Team” acts as a cohesive whole. “Construct” opens up this epic sonic journey with its groovy, ethereal, cinematic soundscapes. The songs gradually transform from calm, soothing, relaxing moments into much heavier, distorted, complex guitar works and moderate beats. “Bullet Train” blends catchy synth melodies with well-accentuated rhythmic patterns, evoking some of the moments of eighties and nineties electronic music while simultaneously carrying dream pop and synth pop qualities. “Solidarity” shines with all those reverby, delicate, jangly, arpeggiated chord progressions, calm synthscapes, and moderate beats, all those qualities that define the best dream pop tracks. “Medicine” continues with a similar sound, but expanded towards more groovy, heavy, abrasive shoegaze orchestrations. The album takes a turn into energetic, danceable electronic music waters with “Flinch,” a marvelous sonic display of Siren Section’s creative genius. You’ll be immediately hypnotized by all those incredibly catchy synth sequences, intricate basslines, and energetic rhythmic patterns. “They Will Never Find Us” offers a comprehensive collection of cinematic ambient layers, cleverly constructed to serve as a break/prelude to the following composition. Even during these moments, Siren Section demonstrates their exceptional ideas and musicianship. “Marker” carries everything you love about dream pop music, crafted and performed to perfection. You’ll immediately get lost in those piano leads, synth pads, and subtle rhythmic patterns. It seems like this composition expands further with the appearance of “Dangerous To Know,” which carries a similar sound but also includes much heavier rhythmic patterns, intricate basslines, and multiple guitar and synth layers. It expands even further with such a beautiful chorus, where multiple vocal layers create hypnotic, addictive, enchanting harmony. With “Tritagonist 1,” the band showcases what happens when you blend another dosage of calm, soothing, relaxing vocal harmonies, heavily distorted guitars, synth sequences, and well-accentuated rhythmic acrobatics, resulting in another standout composition worth spinning over and over again. Although “Tritagonis 2” begins with mellow acoustic chord progressions, this song expands later on. Siren Section are masters in crafting songs that gradually evolve from calm moments to heavier segments. But even during those heavier segments, there are layers of melody and harmony, shaping a colossal atmosphere.
With “Minotaur,” they return to electronic music waters, with all those old-school jungle/drum and bass breaks, beats, fills, and other percussive acrobatics, accompanied by subtle yet vividly hearable basslines, glitchy synths, and various sonic maneuvers. “Deer Hunter” is such a beautiful, stipped down cinematic ballad where marvelous vocal performance, piano melodies, and orchestral layers play a significant role. You’ll immediately realize that this band doesn’t need rhythmic support to sound fascinating and beautiful. If you ever wondered how a mixture of shoegaze and pop could sound, then “Glass Cannon” carries all the answers. Beneath all those vocal lines, piano leads, and delicate beats, multiple layers of heavily distorted guitars lurk around, offering more rawness, abrasiveness, and power without spoling song’s mellowness. Another standout piece that will definitely end up on so many shoegaze and dream pop playlists. “Timeghost” blends various electronic movements with excellent guitar work and more moderate beats. This particular song exemplifies how post-punk, shoegaze, and electronica work well together. With “Equilibrium,” Siren Section introduces industrial, darkwave, and synthwave elements. You’ll immediately notice the presence of these elements in vocal, guitar, rhythmic, and electronic performance, but the band also retains its signature sound throughout the entire composition. “Ritual” delivers another dosage of shoegaze and dream pop, executed in a way only this band can do. The way synths and guitars articulate without overwhelming each other goes beyond comprehension. “Some Of This Means Everything” is another fascinating ballad where vocals and piano serve as a centerpiece, but this time the duo incorporated subtle electronic rhythmic maneuvers that keep a moderate pace and deliver more than necessary groove. With “Carry Through” and “Five Fifty Five,” Siren Section gradually closes this epic journey through their lush sonic universe. These two track act as a perfect closure that sums up everything this duo stands for. “Separation Team” is an ultimate masterpiece that not only demonstrates how post-punk music, when done right, can still sound fresh, unique, innovative, and exciting but also showcases Siren Section’s tremendous creativity, skills, talent, experience, and knowledge. Through a comprehensive collection built upon nineteen fascinating songs, they brought a fine piece of sonic artistry that stands as a top contender for an album of the year. Therefore, head to your favorite streaming platform and check it out.
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