Laughter – The Dark Wave (EP – Laughter)
Genre/Influences: EBM, Dark-Electro, Minimal-Electro.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: Laughter is a German duo set up in 2002! I can’t remember having heard of the band before, but it seems they originally started with Electro-Pop orientated songs and progressively evolved towards ‘harder’ compositions. The self-released “The Dark Wave” features four songs.
Content: The songs remind me of good-old 12” with an A- & B-side. Both songs from the A-side are more into Electro-Minimalism with an Industrial touch on top. The production of the vocals reminds me a bit of Dirk Ivens. The title song has been empowered with some guitar riffs. Both B-side tracks are more into EBM and remind me a bit of Paranoid. This is the harder side of the duo.
+ + + : I like EP’s featuring 4 different cuts; that’s a somewhat retro format I really like and, which gives the opportunity to get a better idea about the potential of a band instead of listening to EP’s with endless remixes. I also discovered a band with great composing skills; they maybe don’t deal with innovative ideas, but have a nose to create great, cold atmospheres and efficient EBM. There’s something to say about the 4 songs, but I have a little preference for both EBM-cuts.
– – – : I regret to have not heard of this formation before!
Conclusion: “The Dark Wave” is an EP, which will catch the attention of EBM and Dark-Electro lovers. I hope to hear more upcoming stuff from this band!
Best songs: “Everything Is Fine”, “Break A Man”, “Dark Wave”.
Rate: (8).
Artist: www.laughter-music.de / www.facebook.com/laughter.music
About Laughter
Laughter is a duo from Wuppertal, Germany, founded in 2002. According to its Bandcamp biography the project developed from synthpop towards EBM and dark wave before starting over in 2021. The members’ names are not published on the band’s Bandcamp page, and no Discogs profile for the act was found at the time of writing.
The three-track digital release “Early Worx”, holding “Flashback”, “Drown (2010)” and “No Chance To Hide”, appeared on 17 February 2021 as a document of the earlier material. “The Dark Wave” followed on 25 March 2021 as a self-released download, with the four tracks “Dark Wave”, “Flashback”, “Everything Is Fine” and “Break A Man”. No production credits are listed on the Bandcamp page. In December 2021 the duo posted “Heaven (Demo)”, announced as a song for a next album.
“The Dark Wave” is the band’s first Side-Line review.
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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.
