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The Ninth Wave establish themselves as a vital new voice on Infancy Part 1

"Infancy Part 1"

Release date: 03 May 2019
8/10
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02 May 2019, 17:15 Written by Jack Lloyd
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Within the first few seconds, it’s hard not to feel as if one is floating alongside the ethereal sounds of “This Broken Design” before submerging into the dark minds of Glaswegian four-piece The Ninth Wave and spinning though the kaleidoscopic brainchild that is their debut album Infancy Part I.

Both majestic and mechanical, it’s a synth driven opener that offers up dizzying new heights laced with cynicism as frontman Haydn Park-Patterson sings sternly over grinding guitar riffs.

While “Used To Be Yours” is the perfect slice of goth pop as both Park-Patterson and co-vocalist Millie Kidd coolly harmonise over an intoxicating display of '80s-indebted post-punk. As both impassionedly yin-yang between the desolate and the dreamy singing “Isn't that what everyone is afraid of? / So incapable of being alone”, melodically the track is a stroke of sonic sorcery with narcotic layers of guitar and synthesizers jovially woven together that encourage you to rejoice as you sonically wander through the emotional wreckage laid bare.

“Don't you want to know what you were bred for?” cries out Park-Patterson on “Half Pure”, the album's lead single and a rousing, patriotic war cry targeting those suffering at the firm hands of superficiality. Designed to be emotive, each aspect of the songs structure is razor-sharp and delivered with a resonant, no holds barred approach that is integral to the songs stance at being nothing short of anthemic in its execution.

“All The Things We Do” continues to delve deeper into the dark heart of Infancy Part I with both Park-Patterson and Kidd lamenting “this modern disease / it keeps us going on” sang over accelerated beats.

While “A Wave Goodbye to the People Who Said I'd Win” is an introspective forward-thinking piece of post-punk that lyrically disavows those seemingly out to sabotage their career, not that anyone could appear to hinder their trajectory having recently supported CHVRCHES and performing at SXSW.

Bringing the album to a climatic finish is “First Encounters” as Park-Patterson and Kidd’s harmonies soar over spiralling synths beats and crashing drums that crescendo beautifully into a sure-fire belter demanding repeat listens. By splitting the album into two parts, The Ninth Wave have struck that melodic sweet spot of having just enough to satisfy yet short enough to be an addictive taste of what’s to come.

Infancy Part I is a visceral and lyrical exploration into the darkest facets of society and the human condition, masterfully crafted and leaving listeners hooked on every gloomy dirge. It solidifies The Ninth Wave's position as a very exciting new prospect indeed.

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