BLACK NAIL CABARET - "Chrysanthemum"

Label: Dependent Records Release date: March 1, 2024

Influences: Dark Wave, Synth Pop

The Hungarian duo’s melancholic and minimalist electro pop is consistently nuanced and captivating. The production is always rich in sonic components that distinguish them from many of the more formulaic acts within the genre. The singer Emese "Emke" Arvai-Illes wistful voice evokes deep emotions, making their sound quite unique.

Black Nail Cabaret's creations lyrical thematics often revolve around mental health struggles and the suffering endured by those living with bipolar disorder and chronic depression in. At least in one way or another. This time around many of the songs explore how psycho-pharmaceuticals rarely, if ever, lead to a complete sense of well-being, and how wounds remain unhealed when one deludes themselves into thinking that simply tearing off scabs will suffice.

While the messages embedded within the songs are open to interpretation, at times, they are strikingly clear to me. "My Room is Empty" — the opening track of the album, is a moody mid-tempo piece that paints a vivid picture of inner loneliness and the often problematic encounter with new people. It conveys the fear of not being understood, despite the genuine desire to invite others into one’s innermost emptiness, and the persistent feeling that one is never enough. Such fears sometimes result in building a wall, when one lacks the courage or energy to engage.

I could mention and dive into several tracks but I don't wanto give away too much in this context since there are several songs that makes you think and feel on here. Worth mentioning anyway is "Autogenic", the single that was released before the album. A catchy, danceable track that repeatedly asks the question, “Is it good day, is it a bad day?" It speaks of being left in a self-analytical state that can lead to despair — of unconsciously constructing the illusion that it’s safe and comforting in the pitch-black well of depression. When death becomes a liberating, luminous, and beautiful, yet simultaneously terrifying and sorrowful, only escape. The flower in the album’s title symbolizes, in certain contexts, death itself.

Chrysanthemum is a deeply emotional collection of songs with an important message that we, as human beings, should heed much more attentively. Black Nail Cabaret has once again proven that they deserve all the success and accolades they have received in recent years and this album is one of my absolute favorites of 2024. Don't miss out on the deluxe edition that contains three more studio tracks and a cool remix of "Autogenic" by UK avante garde experimentalist Die Arkitekt. (Jens Atterstrand)

The regular version of the album is available digitally and on vinyl while the deluxe edition comes in a limited double CD, 36 page 18x18 cm hardcover artbook edition including a bonus CD with the 4 exclusive bonus tracks, of course.

Support your scene and buy this album here.