Corlyx - Together Apart (Negative Gain)

English:CD-review
  Van Muylem    25 juli 2020

Corlyx is a darkwave/Post Punk and 80’ Goth duo from Brighton UK, they just signed with label Negative Gain. The new album Together Apart, will be out worldwide on September 15th. I have to be honest: I think it’s the first time I hear of them, but got hooked on their sound and decided to review it and not wait to release the review (as Covid-19 is striking harder and harder in my country).


They start with White Wolf: I hear a clear bass playing and a nice retro guitar sound (with some surfa billy in it). The female vocals remind me a bit of Siouxsie. I like the track, not a bad start at all as it’s cold but attractive. Next one is We See Red where the bass plays an important role, just as the synth. The vocals could come from a grave and we also hear some male vocals in the back. The 80’s goth sound is clearly here. I adore the way the vocals change from time to time and gives the song a dramatic touch. Find The Killer has a higher tempo and a catchy chorus. The vocals sound a bit sexier on this one (for sure the whispering part). Some parts sound like dreampop with a dark edge. An almost similar track is Porcelain Skin, except that the synth plays a more important role here. A rambling bass and a dreamy gothic minded female voice announces the start of When The Witch Comes Out.

It’s one of the slowest songs of the album, but that is not a bad thing at all as the concept of the song is pretty captivating. Jump In is a spooky track that works the best in the dark hours. I also like the vocals here and the tempo. The melody takes me back to the 80’s and the bass tells me why a bass is important in a song! Stitches From California mixes a great bass, with the perfect guitar sound and female vocals that sounds like waking up from the grave at night with a certain bloodthirst. Black Wind is a dreamy goth minded track with soft touches and a cool bass (hence, once again). Your Love Is A Curse is yet another dreamy dark gothic track. It puts you in a certain trance. Cold is the last track and hasn’t stolen it’s name. It’s a dreamy cold wave / synth pop track with a nice whispering voice. It’s just a weird end as the music simply fades out and stops and that’s it. It’s good that I have the album on repeat as it was a bit disturbing the first time I encountered it. It’s not going out with a big bang and that’s not my favourite way of ending an album.

I’m fine with this album. It’s homogenic and has overall a good sound, good melodies, good vocals. I just miss those 2 or 3 tracks that really make you flash on them. Those of whom you can say: these will surely be single’s and will become a hit and will get enough airplay to give the band the attention needed. I feel a bit too much that you have to listen to the entire album and love it rather than having great highlights.