Review: Double Eyelid – 'Seven Years'

DOUBLE EYELID
'Seven Years'
SELF-RELEASED

Toronto's Double Eyelid are an interesting blend of arty glam and dirty goth. Tapping into the Rozz Williams strain of high melodrama and fusing it with sensually dark melodies they create a decadent electro infused gothic rock that is intelligent and dance friendly. Punky guitars and bass, modern dance beats, jangling Bowie-esque piano and sinister violins are what's on offer, and it is a formula that will have a lot of people coming back for more.

The overall sound evokes the likes of Christian Death's 'Ashes' in terms of its dramatic flair, but keeps its own identity with the modern synths cutting through the dark gothic underbelly. Songs such as 'Black Box', 'John', 'Dead Is Better', and 'The Hanged Woman' are perhaps the strongest examples of this formula. They are slow and sinister but wonderfully melodic and dramatic, giving their sound the true pomp that the classic goth/deathrock bands exuded. Though the album's highlight has to be the great cover of the Rozz Williams classic 'The Stranger', which gets a heavily electronic reworking into a strong club anthem.

The production on the album is fairly good. The more modern synth sounds have benefited from a fresh and modern style of production that gives the songs a lot of presence. There is the odd track that doesn't quite have the same “oomph” as the others. But as an overall effort it is a well recorded and presented album.

Double Eyelid may be an unusual blend of deathrock and electro-cabaret, but they are nonetheless effective. This is an album that you are unlikely to forget in a hurry. It is dramatic, dance-friendly and intelligent music that hints at a lot more. It will be interesting to see where they go on their next release to build on such an intriguing début. Hopefully we won't have to wait seven years to find out though.  

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