Happy Sunday, everyone! It’s time to dust off the ol’ Retrocution dancing shoes, because we’re back with a quick hitter for you to close out your weekend. In this edition, we’re going to take a closer look at Swedish duo De Arma and their latest genre exploration, Synthwave Sessions, Vol. 2. Take a listen and read our take after the jump!

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I wasn’t aware of De Arma before this EP dropped into my lap, which is a pretty glaring oversight on my part. On paper, this is a duo that is extremely my shit, and of whom I should have been well aware.

After beginning life as an atmospheric black metal band — no joke; they even did a split with Fen! — Andreas Petterson and Johan Marklund transitioned De Arma toward a gothic rock / darkwave sound for their debut album, Lost, Alien & Forlorn. It took them nearly a decade to begin their synthwave exploration — on this EP’s companion, Synthwave Sessions, Vol. 1 last year — but when they did, it mostly worked! (And it bears repeating: black metal, to goth, to synthwave? Seriously, how did I not know about these guys?)

Now, the duo are back with the two-song Vol. 2 of their Synthwave Sessions series, and… I think I wanna begin by just touching on a key element of the synthwave genre, more broadly.

Synthwave, in most cases, is built around looped parts. (I don’t intend this to detract from the genre; it’s just a statement of fact.) The loops are laid down, and the song builds around them. A drum machine pattern might set the pace, for example, before a throbbing, metallic bass line enters the fray and, in turn, gives way to an arpeggiated lead line that establishes the melody. You might then add a deeper, softer pad pattern, or maybe some rainstorm effects, for extra atmosphere – or even some vocals if that’s your persuasion.

Whatever the final arrangement looks like, the success of a synthwave song is down to how dynamically the artist adds, subtracts, or otherwise modulates these loops to build the song. De Arma ultimately did pretty well with this on Synthwave Sessions, Vol. 1, but they’ve missed the mark a bit on Vol. 2, which makes it a more challenging listen to fully endorse.

This time out, the tracks don’t so much feel “built up” as “stretched out.” Opener “Shadowstreets” starts off interestingly enough, with a steady, driving rhythm section and a subtle melodic pad pattern. After about 30 seconds, we get a competing, descending melodic pattern in a higher register, and then… the song kind of loses itself. New parts are introduced roughly every 60 seconds or so, as the song drags itself out to a total run time of more than five-and-a-half minutes. It feels almost twice as long as the song needed to be.

“Nighttime Departure” is the moodier of the two tracks, and as such, develops much more gradually. It’s a compelling enough refrain, but again… the build ultimately feels a bit wanting. Too many of the layer additions are subtle, pad patterns, unable to stand out enough to really justify their inclusion. As a result, the track ends up passing by like a bit of a passenger.

It’s a shame, because as noted before, Vol. 1 of De Arma’s synthwave excursion was an enjoyable enough effort. Whether they can recapture the magic they had on that EP next time out, or if they return to their established darkwave sound, it’ll be interesting to see where they go from here. But Vol. 2, sadly, ain’t it.

—Dan

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Synthwave Sessions, Vol. 2 is available now on Silent Future Recordings. For more information on De Arma, visit the band’s website.