Serene Despair by Antoin Gibson is an eerie adventure that left me mesmerized, tapping into ancient mythology into a contemporary sonic landscape under her creative empire Circum-Sŏnus. The genre-bending concept EP re-imagines five femme fatale archetypes including Succubus, Morrigan, Siren, Medusa, and Banshee through soundscapes that feel like a ritual being performed. Feeling like a portal, with its rich production and emotional intensity, it draws me into a fantasy world where beauty and horror are intertwined in an oxymoron that is tranquil and devastating.
Listening to the Maze of the Serpentine Gaze (Gorgon) track, it is as cinematic as the appearance of the Gorgon, with a labyrinth of sounds, as the Vessel of the Loveless (Succubus) track is more sultry, dark and pop-like as the Succubus itself. The electronic darkwave pulse of Nightshade Simmering Secrets (Siren) had me rocking back and forth trying to imagine a dancefloor soaked in an oceanic trance, and the Sociopath’s Kaleidoscope (The Morrigan) had me shivering with a sense of prophesies that were unraveling. The chorus of the My Life’s Dirge (Banshee), raw and crushing, strikes like that of a personal confession, memories of times I felt lost to my own shadows. Antoin is impressive in changing styles, dark pop, ethereal ballads, or cinematic sweeps but still having a thread that is running through the EP.
What most impressed me was the way Antoin inhabits these mythic figures not as allusion, but as extensions of herself, and in a visceral and emotional way. The EP does not merely describe the things that happen to them; it seems as though Antoin has experienced them and thus brings a universality that opens the door to all listeners regardless of what they may or may not know about the lore.
Antoin has found a kindred spirit in fans of Banks, Sevdaliza, or Chelsea Wolfe, but this is very much her own. Serene Despair was an ambitious, engaging performance that caused me to think about power, isolation and change long after the final note. It is not only music but it is also a mythic awakening that haunts you and compels you to embrace the darkness in you.
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