Houston’s darkpop denizens Provision have broken a seven-year drought since A New Revolution, adding co-writer and keyboardist Ian Sol to team up with founder Breye 7x. The artists insist that, at least in the public eye, the album format is long dead, and while we here at CryptTeaze know that’s not true, Provision’s masterminds share our sentiment. As such, they’ve given us Hearts Turn Dark, nine tracks full of self-reflection, older electro-industrial vibes, and an odd sense of optimism against a drab, moody backdrop created by the compositions.
Opening the record is “If This Disintegrates,” an uptempo futurepop jam with plenty to love. The synths echo, the vocals take charge when they need, it’s just a fun track. “Afraid” keeps things in the futurepop realm, albeit with some synthpop flavor and an anxious, yet hopeful and optimistic tone. It’s as if the song is looking forward to the future, if only to have something to look forward to. Delay-laden synths and a danceworthy groove usher in “Still,” as the main riff bounces along.
Point of interest, though, I shouldn’t be able to catch two songs where one uses nearly the same line about “you don’t need to be afraid in my arms,” especially in the respective choruses of both songs. And if you’re going to, putting those tracks one after another isn’t advisable either. This doesn’t hurt the album that much for me, but I did notice it. And if your marketing campaign is going to be all about the album format living on… kind of a bad look.
“Decypher” might be my favorite song from the album, though, as it goes back to the futurepop energy we started off with. An odd production bit is the fade-out fake out, as midway through the song, it sounds like it’s clicking over to the next song. It fades entirely, only for it to pick right back up. I get a fade, but this is midstream, and it breaks up the flow of things noticeably. “Clarity” gives off old goth club vibes, with a classic dark electro sound. “When The Damage Is Done” takes its sweet time to get to the verses, but the mid-tempo groove and airy synth work makes that journey not only doable, but scenic.
The title track comes next, picking up the pace and changing the key for an upbeat track, with Breye getting out of his vocal comfort range for a while. “An Ending Without A Goodbye” dips back into a throwback sound, reminding the listener of later Eighties pop and electronic music. Ending this is the fittingly-titled “When Everything Dissolved” and its positive outlook amidst a slightly dreary backdrop.
Problems with production quality or choices aside, it’s a great album Provision have here. Some of this can be forgiven given the seven plus year gap between releases, and even then the problems that are there don’t make the album unlistenable or difficult to listen to. Put it this way: I have more of a reason to check out more of what these guys have to offer, not just because synthpop and futurepop are two of my favorite subgenres, but what Hearts Turn Dark has on display is a damn fun time.
Hearts Turn Dark is available now via Dreamstreet Records.
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