Symptoms Of by Concret & Chelsea Hines

Italo-Mexican Diego Angelico Escobar aka Concret and singer and musician Chelsea Hines conceived "Symptoms Of" during the lockdown of 2020. A classically trained drummer and former post-punk band member Concret has long been a vital player in the Latin American scene. He is a regular guest on the likes of Red Light Radio and releases on Correspondant, Motordiscs, and Toy Tonics as well as his Tráfico Music imprint.

The thinking behind this new album was to leave artistic comfort zones and explore new ideas through improvisation and jam sessions with "no references, no boundaries and no limits, just a melancholy awareness that we were leaving behind an era not just as musicians but as individuals." The resulting record is a beguiling mix of minimal synth, wave, dark disco, and left-of-center electronica.

The darkly seductive "Surrender" opens with somber drums and heavy hits. Hines's alluring vocals are delivered as tender whispers but they cut deep. "Diderot" leads the dance floor with twisted electronics and dark grooves that reference EBM and electro. "Velvet (I'm Not In Love)" recalls the best of The Knife with its gothic mood, spacious arrangement and pained vocals then "Perfect Body" is a late-night hymn that explores personal insecurities and material desires.

After the post-punk guitars and angular synths of "Nada" come the vast and textural riffs of "Duck You," more heavenly ambient pads and delicate Italian vocals of "Joya Infinita." The fantastic "Thick as Thieves" is gritty and scuzzy with its hurried drums and layers of synth and guitar. "Duezero" offers expansive but tense chords and riffs that build tension before epic closer "The End Is Not Alone" floats in a world of melancholy.

Concret & Chelsea Hines - Symptoms Of
Release Date February 2022
Label La Vida Discos

Tracklist
1. Surrender
2. Diderot
3. Velvet (I'm Not In Love)
4. Perfect Body
5. Nada
6. Duck You
7. Joya Infinita
8. Thick as Thieves
9. Duezero
10. The End Is Not Alone