‘Iconoclastic’ by Ember13th is a darkly glowing beacon in the no man’s land between desire and alienation. The French darkwave/electroclash architect creates a slightly supernatural atmosphere interwoven with haunting particles that is both alienating and seductive. The mantra-like incantation ‘I want your lips, I need your kiss’ acts like a liturgical loop, a self-hypnotic refrain that sets the heart vibrating and the skin on edge. Behind it pulsates an existential loneliness: pity instead of understanding, distance instead of closeness, a dream that is more a twilight state than a refuge. A modern antihero, gutted and eavesdropping, searching for a kiss as a seal of recognition, belonging and redemption. Sonically, it is reminiscent of the cold tenderness of Crystal Castles, but with a shadowy timbre that lies like cold breath on the back of your neck. The hooks are catchy; they taste of metal and moonlight. ‘Iconoclastic’ is a paradoxical gem: ghostly, vulnerable, yet unwavering. A piece that haunts – long after the last beat has faded away. It’s like a break in the grey of everyday life, and it’s strangely comforting.

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