REVIEW

The debut album from Seattle-based solo project Painded Vein.

Painded Vein is the solo endeavor of multi-instrumentalist Andrea Fox Volpato, a musician with an extensive background that includes serving as lead guitarist and backing vocalist for Italian band New Candys, as well as co-producing, mixing, and recording work for gothic/shoegaze artist MØAA.

With the exception of a cover track, Andrea handles all songwriting, performance, production, and recording duties himself. As such, the album reads as a summation of a decade-long career rather than a tentative first statement. The decadent sensibility heard in his work with MØAA remains very much present here: pulsating bass lines and dimly lit guitar textures form the foundation, while Andrea’s restrained, gentle vocals add a pronounced sense of melancholy.

While rooted in dream pop and shoegaze, the album also appears well suited to listeners drawn to new wave and gothic rock, broadening its appeal beyond genre boundaries.

A particular highlight is the opening track, #1 “Lay down,” a melancholic piece that feels like sinking into emptiness while cradling fragments of a sweet dream. #2 “Where Is My Soul?” follows with a more up-tempo, driving rock approach, pairing a romantic melody with forward momentum; traces of Finnish acts such as HIM or To/Die/For can be subtly sensed in its tone.

#3 “Something In The Way” offers a cover of the Nirvana classic, reimagined with a more nocturnal and refined atmosphere—an interpretation that rewards comparison with the original. Later, #7 “Kick That Desire” features MØAA’s Jancy Buffington, whose ethereal vocals deepen the track’s otherworldly mood. In the outro, Andrea’s mantra-like spoken word echoes repeatedly, evoking the sensation of being drawn deeper into a dark forest.

Following the album’s release, Painded Vein reportedly toured across Italy. Taken as a whole, this debut establishes a fully formed artistic identity and suggests a project with considerable room to expand—particularly within the darker intersections of shoegaze and gothic music.