Cygnets - Alone/Together

Canadian synthpop has been on the rise recently with such acts as TR/ST dominating the electronically charged scene. That doesn't mean that there isn't room for the smaller guys such as the Edmonton trio Cygnets, who make it altogether clear by the title of their website that they are not swans. But simply calling them synthpop doesn't do them justice as there is a wide range of influences from the antics of new wave to the gloomy sound of post-punk authorities. 

2010 saw their self-released debut album Bleak Anthems come to life and they continuously released material, including a few singles here and there, until 2014 when Negative Gain Productions approached them. A few negotiations later they were signed to the label and released Sleepwalkers in 2014. Now that it's 2016 - amidst all the other high profile releases coming from NGP - Cygnets has their latest album Alone/Together coming out on September 23rd. And that's what I'm here to discuss, so here we go!

I wasn't a huge fan of the first track 'A Dark Chapter In Our History'. The deep vocals were fairly handsome but I found the song structure and mixture of post-punk guitar and synthpop electronics too cliche for the genre. Plus, the lyrics were extremely repetitive so that did not go well with my tastes. The ending bit of the song where dual vocals of an 80s aesthetics came out with more synths backing them was fairly enlightening, so at least it ended strongly. 

However, that was just the first track and that never stops me from fully engaging an album. As I went through the gloomy met with the moody and some dance tunes met with unadulterated gothic hooks. Some of my favorite tracks on the album turned out to be the almost romantic 'Unaffectionate Mistress', the faster paced and oddball song of the album 'Mourn', and the synth blasted track 'Callie'. 

Anyone who is new to Cygnets should definitely check out the track 'I'm Sorry (So Sorry)' which, when listened to while watching the music video of Cygnets having absolutely no fun, gives you an insight to their sarcasm and personality as a band as well as the type of music they produce: 


That being said, Cygnets Alone/Together is a blend of songs that I would love to listen to a million times over with the rest having a sort of one-time-pass moment about them. After I came back to listen to the album I found myself skipping all sorts of songs aside from the above mentioned tracks.

Cygnets is able to deliver hits and when they're smashing they are SMASHING. However, that only happens a few times on the album and not quite as often as I would have liked. If they are able to curate all that greatness and potential into each and every song they produce, Alone/Together would stand out a ton more than it already does. Still it's worth a shot. Give these Canadians a go! 
Sep 10 2016