REVIEW

A five-track EP released in 2025 by Violet Cold, a blackgaze artist from Azerbaijan. Violet Cold is the solo project of Emin Guliyev, based in Baku. Initially inspired by Alcest, his early output centered on melodic blackgaze in a similar vein. Over time, however, his sound expanded dramatically, absorbing elements of ambient, post-classical music, traditional folk, EDM, breakcore, and hip hop, resulting in a highly distinctive and idiosyncratic artistic identity. This refusal to be confined by genre conventions has earned him a reputation as a kind of trickster within the blackgaze scene.

Following the 2023 album Multiverse, Violet Cold released a series of stylistically diverse singles that ranged from post-classical and lo-fi hip hop to rave-oriented material. Against this backdrop of unpredictability, the arrival of a fully synthwave-oriented EP is unexpected, yet entirely in character. While comparisons to Abstract Void may seem inevitable, the underlying approach differs significantly. Where Abstract Void places blackgaze at the core and supplements it with synthwave textures, Violet Cold reverses the balance, foregrounding synthwave while integrating blackgaze as a secondary but essential component.

The most compelling track is #2, “Nightfall.” Driven by an energetic dance beat, the track’s glossy, exuberant synths immediately evoke neon-lit cityscapes and crowded nightclubs. Even when judged strictly from a synthwave perspective, the execution is notably strong. Emotional clean vocals intersect with malicious screams, preserving blackgaze’s defining contrast between beauty and aggression. The ease with which these disparate elements are combined once again underscores Violet Cold’s skill in transforming seemingly incompatible materials into a cohesive whole.

Shortly after this EP, Violet Cold released the single “Oh My Goth I'm Emo” which further unsettled expectations through its unconventional fusion of pop punk, blackgaze, and anime-influenced Japanese female vocals. The vocals appear to be generated via vocaloid software, yet the use of fluent and meaningful Japanese lyrics adds another layer of intrigue. That an artist from Azerbaijan would venture into territory adjacent to mikgazer was hardly foreseeable. It is tempting to speculate that Violet Cold could one day produce a fully realized, moe-leaning shoegaze release on the scale of a Hanazawa EP—though history suggests he will likely surpass even such predictions with ease.