'Last Dance'
Taken from the band's
forthcoming studio album 'Leaving Babalon', this EP aims to set the
stage for a newly reorganised Covenant. Their first output since the
departure of Haujobb's Daniel Myer and the hiring of Andreas Catjar,
'Last Dance' feels like the band are throwing their cards on the
table... but do they still have an ace up their sleeve?
The title track,
written by founder/vocalist Eskil Simonsson has the classic hallmarks
of a Covenant track. His haunting baritone meanders through catchy
synth melodies and dance friendly beats. Yet, it does come off as a
bit of a standard exercise for the band – ticking the boxes as it
were – but it is an undeniable crowd-pleaser. The Modulate remix
however gives it a harder edge and adds a little spice which will
have a lot of club DJs salivating. While the final version of the
song turns things around a little for a much slower and darker
affair.
'We Go Down' is a more
playful track. Slower and more minimalistic, it's percussive backbone
and simple bassline make it very catchy but it maintains a
refreshingly quirky edge. 'I Scan The Surface' carries this
quirkiness on by breaking out the chip-tune sounds for a bouncy
backing track juxtaposed with Simonsson's sombre vocal performance.
The EP finishes things off with 'Slowdance' feeding of the dark vibes
of the third version of 'Last Dance' it delves into dark ambient
waters while Simonsson gives a great spoken word performance.
This is a very nice
release from Covenant that flirts with elements of their older sound
while opening new doors. The fact that all the members are getting in
on the writing process gives it a bracing sense of variety that feels
like a nice step up from 'Modern Ruin', and maintains the tease of the
new directions the band are playing with. It will therefore be nice
to hear how much of this is carried over onto the new album, or
whether this is merely a devilish exercise destined to remain a
curio.
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