Synth Single Review: “Nocturne” by Alex Lightspeed, DRUMxWAVE & The Neon Syndicate
by Karl Magi
Alex Lightspeed, DRUMxWAVE & The Neon Syndicate’s “Nocturne” is a cry of yearning and emptiness. The song starts as crackling static moves with darkly pulsing tones, creating a sense of waiting danger. DRUMxWAVE creates a strong motion while his vocals are shaded with pain and emptiness. His percussive performance is massive and intense while his voice moves with the guitar, which sobs with brokenhearted loss.
As the strings entangle with mournful light, slashing tones slice cleanly and the drums and bass propel the song forward. Bereft emotion leaks from DRUMxWAVE's voice and stabs me in the heart while The Neon Syndicate’s lonely guitar unfurls with painful sensations. A rippling synth trembles with a shadowy feeling as the guitar slips into the music with brokenness and hard edges.
Alex Lightspeed’s production imbues the song with an umbral atmosphere. The power of DRUMxWAVE's percussive performance and vocals drive the track with incredible strength while The Neon Syndicate’s guitar slashes and tumbles with freewheeling melancholy. The guitar solo carries piercing pain within it as it unfurls and guides the music to a close.
The storyteller asks to be held, like the other person is never letting go, as he says he has a fever, so “let me swim until I’m cold.” He can feel the song’s subject fade away and senses freedom in “a sea of pain that ends its eternal ways.” He feels hopeless as he breaks down and adds, “I feel it, it’s never going away.”
“Martyr, help unbind me from these chains,” he pleads as he speaks of demons, going on to say that “heaven hath no peace in fury.” He says that the song’s subject is deceiving, in control and feeding. He continues, “now I’ve lost my soul, you’re searching,” and realizes there is no way back home, finding himself alone and forced to concede.
“I feel it in my bones, Lady Nocturne, let me go,” as our narrator understands what she is offering and finally gives in. He wants to be held and made to stay as he adds, “I’m on my way alone again,” and concludes, “you’ve lost your faith and I walk alone again.”
