Review: Whimz – PM226

Combining the talents of Sunny Faris from Blackwater Holylight and Carn Spies from Night Heron, Whimz‘s debut EP, PM226, is an intriguing stroll through a darkwave garden.

The titles of the EP’s tracks are as intriguing as their sound. “AM1” starts off the EP and your day with sort of a dread-lined gearing up for battle. You know you’ll come out victorious in the end, but you also know the battle might be a slog. Faris’ vocals sound like they’re coming from an old jukebox in the back of a dark bar patronized by ghosts. “AM2” is, somehow, even spookier. It might be due to Spies’ funeral dirge synths and the strange hand percussion instruments that might be made of human bones for all I know.

“I Wanna” sits in the middle of the EP, making you wonder, “You wanna what?” The answer, judging from the Stranger Things-theme-like synth bass and Romanian-like guitar chords, might be “I wanna dance on a rain-drenched street under a full moon and forget about my troubles for a while.” It’s the lone instrumental, setting the table for “PM1” and Faris’ vocals taking us into a crumbling mansion’s drawing room designed with dark hardwoods and lined with old books. It slides into “PM2” as easy as slipping into a dream after a warm bath. The guitars buzz around you and Faris’ vocals slide in and out of the shadows cast by your bedside lamp.

It’s dark, it’s spooky, it’s perfect for Halloween.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Dave at US / THEM Group.]