❉ Themes of a disintegrating society are delivered with Nature of Wires’ darkwave synth sound, writes Ange Chan.
Based in Herefordshire, the British electronic music artist Nature of Wires has been creating synthpop/darkwave music since 1986, encompassing not only original material and numerous remixes but also countless collaborations with artists such as Fuzzbox, Sea of Sin, Sigue Sigue Sputnik Electric, Massive Ego and many, many more.
Their latest output is Digital Silence (featuring Luka) which was released on 2nd August. Singles from the album have been systematically released since that time, the latest single being Blackened Veil, released on 26th October, and is a song which covers the theme of the global threat of cyber terrorism, colliding the subject matter with Nature of Wires’ darkwave synths, giving the track an uneasy edge whilst delivering its pertinent message.
The album has been met with critique from various factions, as it has used AI vocals, giving the album an experimental framework into how music can be produced. The content of the tracks on the album are equally as divisive, tackling current political issues such as global IT outages, corporate greed, migrant boats, the declining state of the NHS and ironically, the rise of artificial intelligence.
The single Dark Waters (feat. Luka) has also recently topped the alternative singles chart in Germany, and at one time the single Digital Silence was at the number two spot, making Nature of Wires the most listened to alternative band in Germany in early/mid-October this year.
The album opens with the eponymous track Digital Silence which melds the vocals with an upbeat darkwave backbeat, with prominent layers of synths resulting in an eminently danceable track. Next, we move onto Greed Machine which discusses the theme of corporate greed to heavy synths and a track which builds the vitriol of the subject matter.
Pride Now Falls continues with the theme of the disintegrating society, delivering a chilling yet accurate view of the failing NHS in an unlikely subject for such a funky track. The next track is the alternative chart topping single Dark Waters whose lyrics are about the migrant boats to an equally dark EBM synth beat. Born of Code continues in true Nature of Wires style with AI vocals by Lukacs Asoniu. It is very hard to believe that the delivery of vocals is by artificial intelligence and it’s an innovative and interesting way of delivering songs. Is this the way of the future? Gary Watts, the driving force behind Nature of Wires certainly thinks so.
Under the Radar is a European sounding track, utilising differing layers of synths to deliver the ultimate end product. Again, a danceable track in the darkwave style that has a serious theme. The next track is the current single, Blackened Veil, followed by The Day it All Changed, an instrumental track, which opens with a synth-laden apocalyptic foreboding, mimics the fear and dread we all witnessed during the worldwide lockdown due to COVID-19. A period in time which now seems very unreal to have gone through. I can imagine this track being used on a film like Terminator, or Blade Runner; dystopian, bleak and real.
The final track on the album is Rise of the Light, which delivers a positive message of rising above all the sadness and disintegration in the world and the themes touched upon within this album. Ultimately, we can all reach inside ourselves and feel the hope and light within us and rise above it all.
The entire album has a sense of urgency about it, reflecting the immediate need to tackle these important subjects now and not to wait until it’s too late. Nature of Wires is a driving force in the synth/darkwave camp, and I can’t recommend them enough.
❉ ‘Digital Silence by Nature of Wires can be found on Bandcamp, where you can purchase the album and NoW merchandise. You can also find them on Facebook.
❉ Ange Chan is a Freelance Writer, having produced two novels and six volumes of poetry. A prominent contributor to Me and the Starman (available by Cult Ink on Amazon) and lifelong lover of music, Ange is also We Are Cult’s Social Media Administrator.
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