Detroit-based duo
Mission to the Sun is a collaboration between
Christopher Samuels of
Ritual Howls and
Kirill Slavin, founder of the
Detroit Industrial label/event series as well as a veteran of industrial/breakcore acts such as
Fluxion A/D and
DeLIEN. Their music together is a bleak, brooding fusion of darkwave and post-industrial, with
Samuels' haunting soundscapes forming the backdrop for
Slavin's dystopian poetry. His deep, stark vocals combined with mystical electronics bring to mind an imagined collaboration between
Joy Division's
Ian Curtis and
Coil.
Seven Years is their third album together, and it largely continues in the same direction as the first two, although this one seems a little less noisy and abstract than 2023's
Sophia Oscillations. Opener "Dead Friends" has a churning rhythm and dour synths reminiscent of
Depeche Mode at their most gothic, with bursts of clanging percussion and pounding drum fills, along with lyrics expressing severe disassociation. "Can't Take It" feels both more forceful and more vulnerable, while "Black Hole Soul" has a heavier rhythm, with
Slavin describing submitting to the void. "Please, Murder" is filled with harsh, crunchy beats, icy synths, and slivers of noisy feedback, and
Slavin's spoken murmurs are bone-chilling. The noises of "Time Amnesia" are fragmented and glitchy, as the blunt narrative cuts to the core. The more ballad-like "Infection" is both majestic and melancholy, sporting a gorgeous, expansive melody.
Mission to the Sun's quietly powerful music reflects on alienation, departed friends, broken dreams, and a dying world. ~ Paul Simpson
