The Department - Miniview: Alpha

My day began with London based The Department, a two man group consisting of Rob Green and Magnus Lindstrom. The two men focus on synthwave, classifying their influences as coming from 80s electro and new wave. They brought those styles together on their debut album, "Alpha", which took nearly two years to make. The overall quality of the product is quite shoddy, but these two may be able to pull off something grand as their careers continue. 

The cover art itself doesn't really speak much, and it looks as if an amateur spent an hour in Photoshop fiddling around until the end result was just "okay". However, the artwork isn't everything; it's the music. Again, the influences are clearly noted from the get go with 'Don't Give Up', as a chilling, relaxing vibe comes off their sounds, but they definitely need to fine tune their vocals. They almost always fall out of place with the beat, and need to be re-balanced. I also think the production value on the album falls short, and needs a complete remastering, if any was even done. 

Again, Green's and Lindstrom's talents and influences are noted, but they need some serious work done before they can be taken seriously. 
Sep 03 2015