Walk Onto Sun - In the Inside

Walk Onto Sun is a post-industrial/darkwave duo based out of Los Angeles, California in the United States consisting of Benjamin Engebretson and Steve Holmes. They cite the likes of Cabaret Voltaire, Depeche Mode, and the Legendary Pink Dots as influences of theirs, and that certainly shines through with their music production. Back in November of 2015, Walk Onto Sun released their debut five track EP In the Inside on cassette and on their own. 

For starters, the simple black and white, distorted four-leaf clover cover art isn't too shabby. It's simple, has a bit of a DIY feel to it, and would look nice as a full poster. So, they have the aesthetic. But what counts is not the physical product, but the music that's contained inside of it. 

'Steps to Center' is pretty much your standard introductory track. You have some analogue sounds with ambient textures involved, as well as some occult-like humming. The real fun begins with the title track, 'In the Inside'. The mix of darkwave inspired vocals and chilled out, jazzy EBM was delightful. 'Prince of Lies' takes a similar approach, although it take a minimal, electronic Goth-club approach with its beat. 'Too Far' had a hypnotizing beat to it, although I did find myself straining my ears to hear the vocals on this track; perhaps it was a mixing mishap, or perhaps it was purposefully done this way. Point is, I think the song could have been balanced better. Despite my complaint, I still thought it was done well. 'Lull' didn't strike my fancy too much, as it went on a ambient playing field with a minimal, clapping rhythm and some delicate singing. 

So, while I wasn't too huge a fan of the intro and outro songs on the EP, the middle three songs were still fun to get through. Also take into account that the middle three take up eighteen minutes and fifty three seconds of In the Inside while the other two only expand five minutes and fifty five seconds, and the pros outweigh the cons. For fans of Goths who can't get their music tastes out of the eighties, this is for you. 
Apr 05 2016