| Principe Valiente, Oceans | |
| Genre: | Goth, Dark Pop, Shoegaze, New Wave |
| Musicianship: | 3.5 |
| Songwriting: | 3.5 |
| Production & Engineering: | 3.0 |
| Vibe: | 4.0 |
| Overall Rating: |  3.5 (out of 4) |
Dreamy synth pop—assuming you like your dreams dark and haunting! And... sprinkled with jangly guitars! Sweden’s Principe Valiente take you on a trip down memory lane with their third album, Oceans. Imagine a band influenced by artists such as The Cure, The Church, The Doves, Peter Murphy, and New Order, and you’ll find yourself just as in love with Principe Valiente as we’ve become.
From the opening track, “Wildest Flowers,” we were hooked with the Joshua Tree-era guitars layered atop a wash of bubbly synth textures and the brooding, baritone voice of Fernando Honorato (who also plays bass in the band). If Bauhaus had a reunion and Peter Murphy was unavailable, here’s their obvious replacement. Moving on to the guitar-period New Order inspired track, “When I Learned to Crawl,” we were floored by the emotional impact this music was having. And it didn’t let up, through eight gothic and new wave-inspired songs that left us wanting more after the epic closer, “Monsters of the Sea” came to an end and we had to wipe the black eyeliner from our teary eyes.
Guitarist Jimmy Ottosson has a great vibe that combines the best of the Edge’s early years with Robert Smith’s vibe, while keyboardist Rebecka Johansson does a great job laying down the somber mood and overall uneasiness. Joakim Janthe on drums rounds out the quartet.
If the gothic side of ‘80s new wave stirs your soul and imagination, this CD is going to get a lot of play in your collection this summer and beyond.
—SK
