The English–French duo Scenius released their third full-length album at the end of last year. Steve Whitfield (UK) and Fab Nau (France) have crafted a ten-track record, with several singles previously serving as warm-up releases.

The band remains rooted in Electro-Pop, infused with a necessary sense of melancholy and a distinctly 80s aesthetic. This is clearly an aspect in which the group has progressed. Greater attention has been paid to sonic textures, resulting in a warmly vintage sound. The songs are sung in English, though Fab Nau also adds occasional French fragments. While the previous albums lacked a true climax, this one does include a slightly heavier, more club-oriented track that stands out.

There is still a sense that Scenius have more potential than what is fully realized here, but the duo are undeniably moving forward. (Rating:7½).

Listen to “Guesswork”:

https://scenius.bandcamp.com/track/guesswork

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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Anglo-French dark synth-pop duo Scenius will release their third full-length, “13 Billion Dark Years”, on 24 October 2025, via Bandcamp. The album will be available as a digipack CD and digital download. The album follows “Life Is A Thing” (2023) and “Enough Fears” (2020).

You can already listen to four advance singles from the album cycle in 2025: “Funny Sky,” “Beat The Light,” “Swift As Light” and “Five-Arm Crystal.”

The title references the cosmological “Dark Ages”, framed by the duo as a present-day metaphor; the album itself holds shorter tracks as well, uptempo rhythms, and spacious arrangements.

About Scenius

Scenius is the studio-to-stage project of UK producer Steve Whitfield (Leeds) and vocalist Fab(ric)e “Fab” Nau (Angers, France). The duo formed in 2020, releasing the debut album “Enough Fears”, followed by the live EP “Live in Angers” (2022). A second album followed in 2023, “Life Is A Thing”. Early releases appeared on MMXX Records, with recent material self-released via Bandcamp.

Scenius moved from studio to live shows in 2022 with gigs in France and the UK.

The pair draw on first-wave synth pioneers and post-punk – Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, John Foxx; Joy Division and New Order – while embracing a modern electronic production approach. Their catalogue also includes non-album singles and collaboration/remix activity with acts like Promenade Cinema and Nature of Wires.

In 2025 the singles “Funny Sky,” “Beat The Light,” “Swift As Light” and “Five-Arm Crystal” led into the new album “13 Billion Dark Years.”

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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Genre/Influences: Electro-Wave.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Second album by the British-French Scenius duo.

Content: Scenius remains inspired by a very personal approach in Electro/Wave-Pop. There definitely is a retro-touch running through their work which has been mixed with a more contemporary style. The songs are switching between evasive passages and a few, harder, and darker, tracks.

+ + + : I like the kind of sweet, melancholia, running through the songs. Sound-wise Scenius strives to accomplish a personal Electro-Pop sound mixing cool vintage sound treatments with a wafting sensation. My personal favorite cut is the somewhat harder “Chinese Room” which also is a well-crafted piece of music.

– – – : The album is missing a true climax; I guess just one single cut with a more explicit dance/club approach would make the difference.

Conclusion: Scenius stands for easy listening Electro/Wave-Pop music.

Best songs: “Chinese Room”, “La Même Nuit”, “Hot Dust”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.scenius-band.com / www.facebook.com/sceniusband

Label: www.facebook.com/MMXXRECORDS

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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Scenius, a collaboration between UK producer Steve Whitfield (The Cure, The Mission, Yann Tiersen) and French singer Fab Nau, is set to release their second album, “Life Is A Thing”, following their 2020 debut, “Enough Fears”. Based in Leeds, UK, the electronica duo will launch the new album on MMXX Records on 19th May.

In anticipation of the album’s release, Scenius has shared the music video for their single “Chinese Room”, which is scheduled for release on 21st April. The video was created by Scenius themselves, in collaboration with Cotton Bro.

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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(Photo by Kieron Brennan) Following their debut album, the Anglo-French dark pop act Scenius – initially a studio project – have become a live band. Their first official gig took place in Angers, France, on the 30th of March 2022 and it was recorded and filmed – on a static single camera.

Released now as the EP “Live in Angers” you get 4 tracks taken from this gig. Musically the band is making electronic dark-pop out of vintage synths and rhythm machines, blending the spirit and sounds of early electronic outfits with a modern approach.

You can download the EP right below.

Here is the live video for “Cookie Cutter”.

About Scenius

The duo is composed of UK producer Steve Whitfield (The Cure, The Mission, Yann Tiersen) and French singer Fab Nau. They released their debut album in December 2020. In 2021 Scenius remixed tracks for BlakLight (US) and Projekt Ich (DE) and got remixed by Nature of Wires (UK), Klammer (UK) and Black Boiler (FR). The duo also contributed a new track to the Generation Blitz compilation. In March 2022, Scenius embarked upon their first series of gigs, in France.

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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Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: The song “Control” definitely was one of the best tracks from BlakLight’s debut album “Music In A Time Of Uncertainty”. The song has already been released as a single and is now offered to other artists to get remixed. The EP features six remixes plus two hidden bonus cuts. 

Content: I’ll take off with the hidden bonus songs of this EP, which both were originally released on the “Control”-single. It’s an opportunity to (re)discover a song, which wasn’t released on the album, but sounds in the same danceable, melodic Electro-Pop vein. The remixes of “Control” have been made by Scenius, Promenade Cinema, Beyond Border, Lloyd Price and Mind Machine (another project of the band’s singer Brian Belknap). Last, but not least there also is a so-called “Stripped”-edit, which has been adapted into a guitar-pop song without electronics.

+ + + : “Control” remains a great song released on a great album. It clearly inspired some remixes to achieve a cool job. My favorite remix is the one by UK producer Lloyd Price (previously involved with Massive Ego). This edit is more elaborate and features a true elevating effect. Another attention grabber is the remix by Mind Machine, which sounds pretty dynamic. The “Stripped”-edit is not my favorite one although it’s a cool and totally reworked version. It’s also cool that both songs from the single-format have been featured.

– – – : BlakLight has clearly chosen to ask less familiar names for the remixes –which is a great idea although I’m missing a few ‘hotter’ names. That could have been a better strategy to reach a wider audience, what this band deserves.

Conclusion: This EP is a cool addition to a great album. BlakLight have announced they are working on their second full length, so I’m really wondering how they’ll evolve after such a great debut.

Best songs: “Control – Lloyd Price Remix”, “Control – Mind Machine Remix” + “Control – Broken Mix”.

Rate: 7½.

Artist: www.blaklightband.com / www.facebook.com/BlakLightband

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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BlakLight returns with “Control – The Remixes” later this month (next week actually). The EP revisits the track “Control” which the duo released earlier in May. The EP features remixes from Scenius, Mind Machine, Promenade Cinema, Beyond Border, Lloyd Price and the band’s very own “stripped” version. The Bandcamp pre-order has started today (download and CD).

You can already check out a first remix below.

BlakLight is an American duo from Los Angeles featuring singer Brian Belknap (Mind Machine) and Adam Collier (CRUSH333, MDA, Full Frontal Disco). Last year they self-released their debut full length “Music In A Time Of Uncertainty” offering ten tracks mixing retro electro-pop elements together with melancholic and danceable parts. A new album is already in the making.

Here’s an interview with the band.

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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Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop, Indie-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD.

Background/Info: Scenius is a duo driven by British producer/engineer Steve Whitfield and French singer Fabrice Nau. Whitfield has worked with numerous famous artists like The Mission, The Cure… but also The Drift (a project Fabrice Nau has been involved with). Scenius released a few singles and unleashed this debut album at the end of 2020.

Content: The main influences from this band are clearly Electro-Pop driven. “Enough Fears” stands for an open-minded Pop approach, which can be dark, but still pretty Indie-like. The last song “Darkest Lines” even reminds me of I AM X. You’ll also discover a few minimal-driven passages while supported by mysterious atmospheres. Most of the songs have been sung in English, but you’ll also notice some French words.

+ + + : Scenius isn’t a ‘typical’ Electro-Pop formation; there’s no real emulation here, but simply a duo with a personal approach, mixing different elements together. I like the atmospheric touch hanging over the songs, which injects a rather surprising Ambient touch to the work. It also creates a cold impressum, which comes through in songs like “Wild & Wooly” and “Enough Fears”. There for sure is more potential in the Indie-driven “Darkest Lines”, which is a great final part of this work. I also have to say a word about the production of the vocals, which have something emotional and passionate.

– – – : Scenius will now have to catch the attention of the Electro-Pop audience, which isn’t an easy thing in times of Covid-19.

Conclusion: “Enough Fears” is a rather accomplished debut album revealing a band with an own Electro-Pop style. Let’s keep an eye on Scenius.

Best songs: “Darkest Lines”, “Wild & Wooly”, “Enough Fears”, “Some Of Your Nights”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/sceniusband

Label: www.facebook.com/MMXXRECORDS

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.

www.side-line.com

Scenius is a synth-pop / dark-wave duo composed of Leeds (UK) based producer Steve Whitfield (The Cure, The Mission, Jane Weaver…) and French singer Fabrice Nau (Boutique Du Tao, Kyu, The Drift). The duo is about to release their 3rd single on the 8th May. Below is already a video for the new single, “Held”.

You can check out the first two first singles below. A debut album is scheduled for the end of the Summer.

Scenius draws inspiration from pre-punk (Kraftwerk, Brian Eno) and post-punk (New Order, Depeche Mode) electro outfits through to contemporary bands (LCD Sound System, Boards Of Canada) using vintage synths and drum machines.

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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