Midas Fall – Cold Wave Divide Us (Review)

I didn’t have Cold Waves Divide Us on my radar at all, but came across them through a musical digging in forums because my Post-Rock heart was feeling a bit neglected. You just like to click on links, fast-forward the first 20 seconds, you probably know that. And then you stumble across music that unexpectedly takes you on a journey. This is what happened with the Scottish band Midas Fall led by Elizabeth Heaton.

Post-Rock likes to play with elements of different genres and instruments and I haven’t heard such a highly complex interweaving of various influences for a long time. Connecting pieces of electronica, gothic, dark wave, classical elements such as strings and piano. Everything is harmoniously entwined with post-rock riffs and drum and bass rhythms. As a bonus, the folky voice of Elizabeth Heaton is added to the mix, bringing a pleasantly cool shiver down your spine. This reinvention of generic habits is what fascinates me so much about this genre.

And all of this not only played around my ear canals, but also activated my head cinema several times. Certainly due to the various music videos, which provide a good basis for immersing yourself in the inner thoughts and colours. The diversity of the songs, even if they largely have the same post-rock framework, is wonderful. While “Cold Waves Divide Us” is wonderfully sadly sung, accompanied by hard bass, softer but definite riffs, “I Am Wrong” sounds accusing, altogether harder with the little riffs in the detail obsession. Then there is “In This Avalanche”, another song that is broken down to such basic principles.

A gentle criticism has to be made, sometimes this variety of songs sounds a bit complicated and cerebral as it forces the listener to consciously listen to the songs. These are things that tend to happen in the genre and actually disappear after several listens. But the aforementioned convoluted nature can be a bit overwhelming on the first listen, especially for newcomers to the genre. More than once I thought “what was that element next to the electronica sound, I know that one.” This certainly doesn’t appeal to everyone, but it also ensures a deeper immersion into the song structures and gimmicks that encourage the album to be listened to several times.

Nevertheless, genre lovers will get their money’s worth. In any case, I can already say: first contender for the Top Albums 2024.