The latest EP from Manchester-based electro-goth solo artist Still Forever – Flesh Market speaks of alienation, and seething anger underneath an electro-pop musical background that recalls the classical 80’s paradigm of Depeche Mode, Cabaret Voltaire et al, seeped in a driving almost tribal beat in the same spirit of those classical experimental electro-pop avant-gardists of the ’80s, with some experimental flourishes. It is a familiar sound but paints a vivid picture in the mind of what it is to be ‘on the flesh market’, the flesh Market I presume being the music industry in this case. As the artists themself states
“Flesh Market deals loosely with the challenges of being female in a male-driven industry and the ways in which women are objectified and belittled, quite often simply because ‘that’s how it’s always been’, and treated in ways that men generally aren’t.”
The opening track Flesh Market opens with a thump, and kicks you in the face with its thumping and low-frequency bass, with some background synth sounds until the reverb-heavy voice of Still Forever kicks in declaring that you “have the right to turn and run” – before the chorus announces. “In the Flesh Market, dark artist, cash only, are you lonely?”
Like a lot of music of this genre, it seems both celebratory of the flesh market, and seductive in it’s sound whilst subverting our perception of it in some knowingly warped dark way too.
It has a classic anthemic quality which marked many of the classic tracks of the era of dark electro-pop music, and I can certainly imagine goths swaying to this being played in Manchester infamous Rock Club Jilly’s Gothroom (RIP) back in the day. It’s a solid opening track, though in some ways I wish some of the themes were expanded on and some of the background texture given some more space to grow, as sometimes it can become somewhat repetitive on repeat listens. The 2nd track Blood on the Bedroom Wall is a much more experimental track much more in the vein of something like Cabaret Volataire with its echo heavy vocals and driving dissonance (I’m a big fan of CV so this wasn’t unwelcome at all), it’s a bit too short perhaps and I would have liked to hear it expanded on a bit, but it’s a nice experimental counterpoint to the main track.
The final track is a remix of the 1st by Pastelance, and it takes the track in a more EDM / Beat heavy direction, with a nice crisp production. It has a powerful midsection which is powerful and builds and drops really well, though at a few points it feels like Pastelance decided to throw a bit of everything in the pot, which whilst not unwelcome can cause it to become hard to decipher at times (not entirely a bad thing to be honest though, and I’m no lightweight when it comes to heavy electronic music, being a breakcore fan and all). A decent remix overall that suitably slices and reimagines the original opening track.
Overall an interesting EP and homage to its pop-electro goth influences, it will be interesting to see how the upcoming LP Synæsthetic continues to explore the themes of ‘The Flesh Market’.
Chris Godber
Website: www.stillforever.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/StillForeverMusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stillf0rever
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stillf0rever
