REVIEW

The debut album from Mareux, the solo project of Iranian American musician Aryan Ashtiani, arrives as a long-overdue full-length statement from an artist with more than a decade of experience behind him. While this marks Mareux’s first album, it builds upon years of releases that have steadily shaped his self-described “romantic darkwave” sound.

Drawing heavily from 1980s new wave, gothic rock, and synth-pop, Mareux channels these influences through a contemporary sensibility, resulting in a melancholic style that feels nostalgic without being bound to revivalism. His wider breakthrough came in 2022, when the single “The Perfect Girl” went viral on TikTok, inspiring a wave of remixes and reinterpretations by users across the platform.

Although the track takes inspiration from The Cure’s “The Perfect Girl” from Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Mareux’s version functions less as a cover and more as a reimagining. Beyond its lyrical reference point, the song diverges significantly from the original, and listening to the two side by side only underscores the clarity of Mareux’s own artistic voice.

That momentum continued into 2023 with an appearance at Coachella, and Mareux’s popularity has shown little sign of slowing since. As of September 2024, his Spotify monthly listeners stood at approximately 5.29 million—numbers that place him among the most widely heard artists within the modern darkwave revival. In that context, Mareux can reasonably be cited as one of the genre’s most important contemporary figures.

Musically, the album’s most notable development lies in its incorporation of dream pop elements alongside Mareux’s established darkwave foundation. Tracks such as “Night Vision” and “Hurt” weave delicate guitar arpeggios into mellow arrangements, paired with hushed, almost vacant whispers. The resulting atmosphere evokes a deep sense of isolation—like staring at a flickering candle in a completely dark room, moments before it disappears. One might imagine this as a gothic reinterpretation of Cigarettes After Sex.

Another standout arrives with “Glass,” which features a guest appearance from Kris Esfandiari of King Woman. Her ethereal whisper is layered over a drained, four-on-the-floor rhythm, offering a striking contrast to the crushing doomgaze textures she is typically associated with. The song’s stripped-back minimalism recalls the emotional directness of Billie Eilish’s debut album, and may help explain Mareux’s appeal beyond strictly goth-oriented audiences.

By expanding his palette to include dream pop while retaining his romantic darkwave core, Mareux delivers an album that feels both fully realized and unusually accessible. For listeners drawn to melancholy atmospheres—dream pop fans included—this debut offers a compelling entry point into one of darkwave’s most visible modern figures.