In Good Faith – Trinity

[schema type=”review” name=”Trinity – In Good Faith” description=”Label: Echozone Records” author=”Sarp Esin” pubdate=”2018-02-23″ ]

Synthpop is a tough mix to crack and those who try fail more often than they succeed in trying to marry pop sensibilities to seemingly disparate influences.  The question here being, do we have a success, or another error in a long string of errors? Let’s ponder.

In Good Faith hails from the industrial capitol of the world: Germany.  They offer some tastefully-done synthpop with industrial leanings and a gothic tint.  This means mostly 4/4 beats, arpeggiated basslines and leads, soft-spoken synths, low-key / forlorn vocals and typical lyrics (for the genre.)  One thing’s for sure, though, and that is the synth-laden atmospheres woven throughout the songs in the form of background pads do wonders for the music.  It is tied together with those somehow perpetually-on-the-verge-of-sadness-but-not-quite-there vocals endemic to the genre, but thankfully, the music does a lot to compliment the vocal choices.  Trinity being the band’s debut full-length means that we’re off to a promising start.

The major pitfall of synthpop is often moods and focus are treated as mutually exclusive concepts.  Not the case with In Good Faith, as they maintain a sharp focus throughout and choose to angle their efforts towards creating engaging, driving music rather than to meander.  There are bangers like Choose Your Way or Exposure that move, ebb and flow impeccably, the latter marked with building tensions and a guitar-like burst that instantly infects the listener.  Then there are sad ballads like Licht or Shadows that choose to weave emptiness.  This is a definite strength of the album, to generate impact-heavy songs with actual emotional depth in the arrangement.  There is however the weird mis-step of (somewhat aptly-titled) Aberration which doesn’t really have any build-up to anything.  It’s a good example of how the entirety of the album rests precariously on a very, very delicate balance of elements mixed in together.  So delicate, in fact, that a mere half a step in the wrong direction brings it crashing down.

So, if Trinity has one problem, it is that it’s very, very uneven at times. For every banger like Explore you have bland, frankly superfluous songs like About a Life. This song is a particular stumbling block, as the ones that precede it are so good that it’s hollow sentiment, failure to be uplifting which is what they were clearly going for and sheer goddamn blandness brings the album down a few pegs.  The song isn’t alone in that regard, as the album also has I’ve Lost Control with its similar failure to launch.  Confounding the problem further is the fact that the opener The Pick-Up Artist and the closer Love Will Tear Us Apart a utterly forgettable, unable to kick it off or close it down with any impact.  Also, while we’re on the subject of last-minute blunders, I don’t see the point of integrating the remix of a song (Shadows) that’s on the album not as a bonus but as a part of the album itself. Never mind that the remix in question is noticeably inferior to the original, it just makes zero sense from an album flow standpoint, and makes you wonder why this wasn’t an optional bonus (as it is usually the case in these albums.)

Despite these problems, Trinity is actually a very enjoyable album. It’s well-made, well-produced, skillfully executed and feeds enough gothic into the mix to make me smile.  If you’re in the mood for something poppish but with a darker edge and an industrial tint, go for it.  Fans of the genre, fans of industrial in general, and people looking for something a bit less abrasive will enjoy this one.

Line-Up
Kai Vincenz Németh – keys, drums, bass, lead vocals
Jörg Allenbach – keys
Frank Michael Speer – keys, supporting vocals
Hendrik Strehl – drums

Tracklist: 01. The Pick Up Artist 02. Explore 03. Licht 04. About a Life 05. Choose Your Way 06. Shadows 07. I’ve Lost Control 08. Aberration 09. Lost Moments 10. Shadows (Terrolokaust mix) 11. Love Will Tear Us Apart

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