Parking Dance – Gloom Paradise (Album – Icy Cold Records)
Genre/Influences: Dark-Wave, Dream-Pop, Shoegaze.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: Parking Dance is a French project driven by Matthieu Bonnécuelle. “Gloom Paradise” is the third official album which has been again released by Icy Cold Records.
Content: The influences are pretty similar to previous works and are definitely taken from 80s productions.
From dark and desperate passages to a more evasive dream-Pop format this album is constantly switching although remaining pretty homogenous.
+ + + : Parking Dance is a name I kept in mind after the promising previous work “Can’t Explain” but the new work moves a step further. The production became more elaborated and globally speaking more professional. There’s a perfect balance between different influences. “Djiam” is a great piece of music for its perturbing guitar playing mixed with haunting vocals. “Drugsnolove” sounds a bit in the same line and is another attention grabber. The more Shoegaze-like “What For” is another cut I highly recommend.
– – – : A few tracks are less inspired and that’s maybe because I’m missing a climax in it.
Conclusion: Parking Dance moves on composing an alluring dark 80s format which might appeal for a wider range of New-Wave lovers.
Best songs: “Djiam”, “Drugsnolove”, “What For”, “One More Time”.
Rate: 8.
Artist: www.facebook.com/parkingdance
Label: www.facebook.com/icycoldrecords
About Parking Dance
Parking Dance is the solo project of French musician Matthieu Bonnécuelle, based in Toulouse and working in a coldwave and post-punk vein. The project released its debut album, “What More?”, on Icy Cold Records in December 2019, followed by “Can’t Explain” in October 2020.
The third album reviewed here, released again through Icy Cold Records, is listed as “Gloom Parasite” on the label’s own Bandcamp catalog, though the Side-Line review carries the title “Gloom Paradise”.
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