CONNÖR - Out of Traumaville

Though the synthwave genre can be considered oversaturated, there are a small amount of producers within the genre who come out swinging with crisp production and unreal sounds. They are cast above your standard bedroom producer, or your average synthwave music-maker who thinks that sunglasses and a letterman jacket give them an edge in the scene. No, producers like CONNÖR are innovators in the sense that they do not let a simple genre tag bottleneck them into one specific territory. For example, when I hit the play button for the first time on "Out of Traumaville", I wasn't thrust into a dancefloor piece filled with 80s nostalgia, but I was rather placed in the middle of a bulging synthrock piece filled with heavy percussion and some seriously handsome chords from Jamie Wiltshire. After three minute of amazing instrumentals and well-sung lyrics, sure, the song transformed into a dark synth hit, But, it was the introduction of the track and the further merging of these two genres in the latter half of the song that made it stand out so well. This is not taking into account the final moments of the song where the beat becomes heavy and the vocals become harsh; it's just another layer to a phenomenal introduction to this project.



Another one of the standout tracks on the album comes in at track number three, "Theme from Traumaville". This song just reminisces so many creepy, spooky, and horror based theme songs I heard in the nineties from the likes of my childhood favorite Goosebumps and Unsolved Mysteries. I can even describe it as an eerie intro to a horror shock-fest a la John Carpenter or Wes Craven. Once again, I was lost in a song that was constantly moving. Minimal synth work and organs serve as the opening moments before I was thrust in the middle of a beat that gave me Halloween-season chills, before finally ending with a frantic rush of EBM inspired beats. Well done! 

Further instrumental goodness is found on the song 'My First Bossfight'. Arcade-inspired sounds meet danceable and groovy beats as I was taken on a trip through video-game nostalgia. Funk meets synthwave on the track 'This is Holy woöd' as KC Burke uses their voice with careful expertise; soulful and emotional, they nailed the feel of the track. The last track on the album is also another banger. Epic synths absolutely floored me as Sam Blanchard sung their heart out. It was a perfect way to end the album. 

However special the mentions above may be, it would be a disservice to not mention the other collaborations and songs that are on this album. 'Total Darkness', with muffled bass in the beginning, sounds as if it's going to be a standard club-banger but turns out to be so much more than that. Jamie Wiltshire delivers a rampant performance on the uppity track 'Neverending Nights'. Kevin O Hay gets his groove on in the beat heavy 'Born to Shine'. doctormelodious joins the fray in equal measure on both the title track and 'On to Holy woöd'. 

But, if there is any song on the album that you need to listen to, it would be track four 'The Fire in Me'. I knew this was going to be a favorite of mine as soon as the first piano key struck and reverberated in the background; not a moment after did I hear a saxophone come in. Combined with the light ambiance of the electronic work, I felt shivers running down my spine. Winona Drive is in charge of the vocals on the song and she delivers such an amazing performance with whispered but sung chords that perfectly match the sincerity of the song. Despite what the score may say up-top, this song alone is absolutely perfect. 

"Out of Traumaville", then, it one of those albums that I wish were out in physical format as I would love to have it on my shelf and in my collection. Though I may think that 'The Fire In Me' is the best song on the album by far, the rest of the tracks are top notch nonetheless. Every single collaboration holds merit and the instrumentals featuring CONNÖR's God-given synth talent are fantastic. Maybe one day we'll see this in vinyl format, but as of right now, you can support CONNÖR by purchasing the digital copy. It's highly recommended. Eight out of ten! 

This review was commissioned through our Ko-fi page.
Apr 21 2021