Conor Fynes 'Ser Cercana' - Senmuth (5/10)

Released in a year where Senmuth was typically gravitating towards his more ambient and worldly side of music, it comes as a bit of a shock to hear Senmuth playing this heavier material. It isn't that this heavier, industrial metal form is new to Senmuth; his origins can be traced back to it. What makes this surprising is that I was under the impression he had left it behind for good. While I don't remember caring much for his 'danceable' and noisy style of metal, I find myself a bit more drawn to 'Ser Cercana' than alot of the other material I've heard from him lately, not necessarily because the music is 'better' than what he's usually been doing, but because it's throwing a much needed spice of variety into Senmuth's chronology.

The music here harkens back to the time where Senmuth's music valued energy and catchiness over ambience and depth. While this might sound like a step back, it's actually refreshing to hear an album by the man that doesn't take itself too seriously. Hell, there's even an industrial cover of 'Jingle Bells' here... All in all, there isn't much in terms of concept here beyond some catchy rhythms and some interesting electronic samples towards the end of the EP.

Anyone who has listened to Senmuth's earliest material knows what to expect here. Vocals filtered through a distortion box, downtuned guitars and plenty of electronic noise is the order of the day with 'Ser Cercana.' Musically, it's very chaotic but doesn't necessarily have the compositional complexity that might warrant it. 'Ser Cercana' is worth listening for anyone that found themselves drawn to the early material by Senmuth, but otherwise; let it be a bite-sized taste of what works, and what doesn't for Senmuth's heavier material.