Genre/Influences: Dark-Pop, Wave-Pop.

Format: Digital.

Background/Info: “Bliss” is the debut album from the Italian project My Absence By Now. The band is driven by Emiliano Santoro -who’s also involved with Doom-Metal music, and female vocalist Graziana Oddo.

Content: This album is clearly mixing different sound universes. Driven by slow, downtempo rhythms and delicate electronic sound treatments you’ll notice sensual vocals of Graziana Oddo mixed with Doom-like growls of Emiliano Santoro.

+ + + : This is a fascinating opus which sounds a bit like a challenge. You don’t exactly expect elements of Pop and Metal as a sonic fusion. The work has been achieved with delicate sound treatments and strings. I like the duality in the vocals. “An Old Love” is a great song illustrating the sonic universe of this duo.

– – – : Several tracks are maybe a bit too short.

Conclusion: An interesting experiment as a fusion between different music styles.

Best songs: “An Old Love”, “Vapour”, “Just Leave Me Then”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.facebook.com/myabsencebynow

About My Absence By Now

My Absence By Now is the brainchild of Italian musician Emiliano Santoro, known as founder of doom/atmospheric post black metal/post rock act Dead Summer Society and dark ambient project Last Winter I Died. For My Absence By Now he is joined by guest singers Graziana Oddo (Elektrovice, ex-Retina) and Andrea Maggioni (Icidar, The Harrowing Yearning and Astral Emptiness).

The project introduced itself with the track “Behind” ahead of “Bliss”, its debut album released on March 24 via The Circle Music.

Inferno Sound Diaries

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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The new Italian outfit My Absence By Now is premiering its very first video, today on Side-Line for the track “Behind” taken from the album “Bliss” which will be released on March 24.

Besides dark synth you can easily label their music as a blend between dream pop, some post-punk and a sound that reminds us very much of This Mortal Coil and related 4AD acts.

The project itself is the brainchild of Italian musician Emiliano Santoro, who is mainly known for his work as founder of doom/atmospheric post black metal/post rock Dead Summer Society and dark ambient Last Winter I Died. With this new project he is experimenting with new sounds which in his own words “result in an exemplary mix of dark synth that drags the listener’s feelings into a world where darkness contests the existence of the last faded sunbeams.”

For this project Santoro is joined by guest singers Graziana Oddo (Elektrovice, ex-Retina) and Andrea Maggioni (Icidar, The Harrowing Yearning and Astral Emptiness).

A band to keep an eye on as they are offering a really refreshing approach and this thanks to the union of 3 talented musicians.

Today we exclusively present you the track “Behind”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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