- Neon goth that pays tribute to both American new wave and vintage Spanish synth.
- Valencia, the title of Bézier's latest EP on Dark Entries, echoes both the San Francisco street that doubled as a hub for the Bay Area's new wave artists in the '80s and the synth-heavy club scene of the Spanish city around the same time—a movement which underwent both rise and decline. Bézier's particular flavor of retrofuturism falls somewhere between dark synthwave and outrun electro, though it pulls from techno, house, dark disco and EBM, too. Valencia is body-oriented, but feels different from their past releases: it's as moody as it is stylish. Some tracks are loopy, eschewing narrative, while others are mini journeys on their own.
The first few tracks on Valencia carry themselves with a dark regality. Like a candelabra-lit castle, they're both spooky and ornately decorated. "Resurrection" opens with the EP a dose of high drama, which I mean in the best way—warbling synth chords wail in ecstasy, as a subdued vocal loop steps in time with a chugging rhythm.
Bézier knows how to hook the ear, whether it's the faded, haunting melody of "Past The Marshes" or the electric synth line of "Valencia." The tight claps and bouncy, arpeggiated synth of "Valencia" are downright contagious, while "Reservoir" features Bézier's partner Len Leo, whose John Maus-style vocals act as a clever counterpart to Bézier's blooming pads and slightly syncopated rhythm. "Scrupulous," too, is worth noting, with its layered pads and frenetic synth leads.
The record is not only a nod to the history of synth music, but a tribute to George Horn, the legendary audio engineer who passed away in August of last year. Horn's work was critical in helping shape Bezier's early releases, and he worked on the vinyl mastering of Valencia before his death. What defines Valencia's neon glow is the heart that comes through here in collaboration: not only with Horn but in Bézier's partner Len Leo. It's the culmination of a gradual metamorphosis from their days as a member of the queer SF collective Honey Soundsystem to now a seasoned artist with over a decade of production under their belt.
Tracklist01. Resurrection
02. Past The Marshes
03. Valencia
04. Resevoir feat. Len Leo
05. Scrupulous