Local goth synth-wave act Nun sheds any baggage associated with being a revivalist act and demonstrate a powerful vision of what the ‘darkwave’ movement looks like in 2018 with their latest record The Dome.
The acts’ vocalist and visionary Jenny Branagan looms large on this record. Opening song ‘Wake In Fright’ begins with the disparate percussion of a 303 drum machine that’s then engulfed by a throbbing analogue synthesiser. Branagan’s vocals are ominous and whilst her voice is not overly affected, it sits back in the mix resulting in the song firstly creating an atmosphere before it’s clear exactly what it’s about lyrically.
In the album’s bio it is revealed that this song was inspired by visionary American architect Buckminster Fuller who as far back as the 1950s was espousing renewables. So when Branagan entones “You stumble indoors / Shake accordingly / Wake in fright,” it’s seems she is making an intimation of the earth’s inexorable path to environmental disaster.
‘Immersion III’ is a deep, driving synth track that pays tribute to seminal electronic acts Throbbing Gristle and Kraftwerk.
Nun along with ‘darkwave’ contemporary Kirkis indicates a strong scene for this genre in Melbourne.
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