I think a majority of people who follow the site (all two of you) understand that there are a couple of genres that I feel are furiously saturated with hundreds of acts making it difficult to siphon through it all. Up there on my list Is darkwave music, as a good chunk of the promos I receive is for darkwave music. Thus we have a few stinkers, and a bunch of good acts. But being good in an oversaturated genre isn’t enough for me; ya gotta rise above the usual and find your own niche and be great or even better than that. Thus the subject of this very review, Tania Cassette.
Gothic darkwave and synthpop, not necessarily one or the other, intertwining with one another and making love in a sensual manner accented by Cassette’s English and Spanish lyrics. But let’s get to know Cassette a bit more. Based in San Diego, Tania Cassette already has claim to fame from the well-received duo Glass Spells. However, like most artists, there was a desire to strike out on her own and craft something that was genuinely her. Stripping out any influence other than what she wanted to do, her solo act morphed into what we now see and hear. Cassette has been quoted as saying about the project:
The album is the record I always wanted to write. Something that embodies my personal taste and influences. I had such a strong yearning to express myself creatively with no limits and so I took a pivotal dive into that desire, and ended up in a flow state.
And I’m so glad she ended up in that flow state as the album from start to finish is a genuine sleeper hit waiting to be unraveled. Let me highlight a couple of my favorites from the album. The Rabbit is a testament to her writing efforts; the gloomy aesthetics of darkwave echo with dance rhythms of synthpop. It wouldn’t feel out of place at a modern vampire ball (DJs, take note). Tania Cassette also let’s her voice sway and flow, whispering accents sometimes following the end of a line, her voice reverberating into the background adding an extra ethereal layer.
Cassette’s vocal work is bilingual as seen on Por Tu Amor and I’m glad to say that she can carry a tune in either language. A slower, bouncier rhythm is present on the song making it something you can easily drift in and out of, as if you’re floating on clouds. I can see Haunt Tenderly becoming a club favorite thanks to the punchier bassline and the electro-vibes sprinkled throughout. It’s a nice, opposite pairing that works well with Cassette’s softer, dreamier vocals.
I love the rhythm on Isabella. After a couple of a couple of slower electronic ballads this one cleanses the pallet by giving us another sparkly yet darkly influenced track. Electropop beats take the main stage during the chorus with light touches during the verse.
Altogether the Death of Me is twelve tracks but there isn’t a single song I would skip out on; I would just run out of words to describe them and it’s better to experience them on their own. I don’t really think that Tania Cassette is breaking the mold with this album BUT what she is doing she’s doing better than most. The album is fun and addictive and when I finished it once I spun it again. I don’t really see myself slamming weights to this album (probably will, regardless) BUT I easily see myself listening to this during night rides. And if I’m ever caught in a Goth club and one of her songs come on, you may just catch me throwing it back trying to make it clap to the beat of The Death of Me.
The Death of Me has physical copies available for all you collector’s out there, and Cassette will be hitting the road for a few West Coast Tour dates. Check that out below.
