REVIEW

This is the second album from Italian darkwave trio Silentways, and their first release since reuniting as a three-piece in 2022. After the release of their self-titled debut, the band briefly disbanded, making this album an important turning point in their trajectory.

While the previous record drew attention for its crossover between darkwave and dream pop, this new album appears to push decisively deeper into darker territory, incorporating pronounced coldwave elements. The rigid pulse of the drum machine, paired with a bassline that throbs insistently like a heartbeat, creates a soundscape that feels as though it is pressing forward through a cold, lightless cavern. The band has mentioned that their recent fascination with Twin Tribes played a role in this shift, and that influence can be felt in the album’s colder, more austere atmosphere.

That said, Silentways do not abandon their luminous side. The aurora-like shimmer of the guitars and the ethereal beauty of Annalisa Lynch’s vocals remain firmly intact, allowing the album to be appreciated just as fully from a dream pop perspective. In that sense, it reinforces the idea—already suggested by acts like The KVB, Seasurfer, and Magic Wands—that gothic lineages and dream pop continue to complement each other remarkably well.

The album is thematically centered on interpreting different perceptions of love. Among the tracks, the first single “A Red Thread” appears to focus on a transcendent form of love shaped by fate, symbolized by the mythic red thread. Listening while following the lyrics, it becomes clear that the song invites deeper interpretation—one that rewards careful attention to its words as much as its atmosphere.