Kilmarth – Better Days (EP – Kilmarth)
Genre/Influences: Cinematic, Experimental, IDM.
Format: Digital.
Background/Info: Third work by Belgian Cedric Wattergniaux. He, in a previous life, was a Side-Line contributor who finally transposed his passion for music into composing his own sound universe.
Content: “Better Days” sounds like an exploration of new sonic paths for Kilmarth. The work is still featuring IDM and Experimental influences but it also reveals an explicit cinematic approach while for the very first time we get vocals by guest singer ‘Blessing’. The title song features 2 remixes by D-Fried.
+ + + : Kilmarth moves on composing Electronic collages. I still like the IDM touch emerging at “Khtara” but also the kind of oboe sound running through this work. The sensation of a real instrument also comes back in the ultra-Cinematic “The Philosophy Of Hope And Fear”. Last but not least I also want to say a word about the title song featuring cool, female vocals. I personally prefer both remixes by D-Fried for their accentuated down-tempo approach.
– – – : I think it’s always a pity when remixes are more convincing than the original edit -although the original cut is worthy of examination.
Conclusion: Kilmarth is one of the very few Belgian artists I know which might appeal to fans of labels like Ant-Zen, M-Tronic and related labels.
Best songs: “Better Days featuring Blessing – Future Blue Remix by D-Fried”, “Better Days featuring Blessing – Vintage Green Remix by D-Fried”, “Khtara”.
Rate: 7½.
Artist: https://metarcane.wixsite.com/kilmarth / www.facebook.com/Kilmarth Read the news on ‘Better Days’.
About Kilmarth
Kilmarth is a Belgian electronic solo project founded in 2007 by composer, producer and French teacher Cédric Wattergniaux, who offers a mix of IDM, experimental electronics, ambient, cinematic sound design and glitch. The project name references the Cornish house Kilmarth from Daphne du Maurier’s novel The House on the Strand.
Kilmarth debuted in 2018 with the CD mini-album “Catharsis”. The release was followed by the EP “Derrière Le Miroir” in 2021, which pushed further into minimal-electro and cinematographic territory and later spawned the video-focused “M-Fia41“.
In early 2022, Kilmarth issued the two-track single “Baryum“, introducing a darker post-industrial ambient angle. In 2023, the mini-album “Better Days” reviewed here marked a shift towards more vocal-centred material, introducing guest singer Blessing on the title track and the remix duties of D-Fried on both of its versions.
Kilmarth would go on to release the first full-length IDM album “Sociological Veranda” in 2024, followed by the single “Vergessen” with its jazz-infused B-side “ToExposeTheTruth,” the EP “My Son of The Moon” with guest Mad Mac, the 2025 album “Micrometeoritic Flowerpot” made in collaboration with D-Fried, and the 2026 concept album “Cherophobia,” released via Adventurous Music.
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
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