Raoul Sinier - Dreams From The Assembly Line [self-released]

It's always a great thing to see artists trust their own work x art enough to go fully independent and relase their music under their own terms and conditions without assenting to any of the constraints and restrictions which might come along with working with and signing their music over to a label. This is exactly what Paris-based artist Raoul Sinier has done recently with his February 10th, 2k23-released album "Dreams From The Assembly Line", an eleven songs and 47 minutes spanning longplay effort which provides a fascinating, hyperchromatic take on IndieElectro x Leftfield Pop starting out with the shimmering quasi-falsetto drama served by the opening tune that is "Unfortunate Pair" whereas the subsequent "Human Field" is built upon a foundation of raw, brooding Dope Beats and dense, washed out electronics partly somewhat reminiscent of late Depeche Mode as well as early Tricky vibewise before "Let Me In" enters Hardcore x Emo territories musically even though Raoul Sinier's vocal performance is curiously gravitating towards a large scale 80s feel - think: Alphaville. Furthermore "The Storm Inside" fuses this dramatic attitude with captivating elements of IndustrialRock, the "Timeless Room" fully indulges in scintillating, yet hypnotic Leftfield Pop x SynthPop with a somewhat radio friendly edge whilst "Red, White & Pink" drifts from a heavy intro to a widescreen panoramic, almost Fantasy Metal (Not Fantasy Metal)-emulating attitude followed by "Fantastic Crash", the atmospherically densest and most intense cut on this album once again topped by Mr. Sinier's trademark vocals. Subsequently the "Surreal Trail Of Mayhem" might be classified as a spaced out maelstrom of Doom Pop / Alternative Doom by some, "The Weird Snakes" once again harks back to the Dope Beat-driven Alphaville'esque vibes mentioned previously whereas "Unmistakable Fragments" caters a dreamy, slightly spaced out 90s Alternative x Leftfield Pop sound which evokes faint and distant memories of acts like Babylon Zoon before the final "Assembly Line" rounds things off with dark and droning riffs, ethereal synth atmospheres and partially cut up vocals. As non-conformist as an album can be. Interesting.

Album artwork on Instagram!