Have you ever wondered what triumph over adversity sounds like? The answer lies in ‘Trickery’, the seventh album from gothic post-punk legends Then Comes Silence.  

 

It’s 2022, and on the eve of their first-ever US tour and eager to promote their stellar albums ‘Machine’ (2020) and ‘Hunger’ (2022) for the first time, Then Comes Silence are suddenly and unexpectedly reduced to a three-piece.  Would their famed darkwave wall-of-sound still work with just the three bandmembers? The answer was resoundingly positive, so much so that the band resolved to continue with the slimmed-down line-up on a permanent basis on further US (supporting Vision Video and The Bellwether Syndicate) and European tours, and now on their return to the studio. This inadvertent metamorphosis of the band has led to a different way of creating music and performing live. 

 

To capture the heart and essence of the trio’s live prowess, ‘Trickery’ was recorded in just three days in Kapsylen Studio in Stockholm. With Jonas Fransson (in the band since 2015) laying down an energetic punk backbeat and sleaze punk fan Hugo Zombie (a 2018 recruit) providing inventive and rhythmic guitar lines, the main focus remains on singer and bassist Alex Svenson, sole surviving member from the band’s 2012 debut album, whose velvety croon and solid bass lines are enhanced on ‘Trickery’ by retro synth sounds reminiscent of his recent solo futurist wave project Neonpocalypse. “The electronic elements are essential to ‘Trickery’,” Alex says, “but are also a salute to punk music, the cradle of Then Comes Silence and the cradle of post-punk“. 

 

The band’s existential crisis also resulted in a re-assessment of their very raison d’être, and this is reflected lyrically on the new album. Then Comes Silence explain that ‘Trickery’ celebrates friendship, unity and the feeling of belonging to a group, a tribe.

 

“Being a part of what many people call ‘the goth and post-punk community’ is a great privilege. After being on the road meeting people from the music scene for so many years, we have experienced a caring and welcoming community. Both old and young, some with a similar background and some just for the love of the music and the culture that comes with the lifestyle. No-one is free from apprehension and fear. Everyone feels some kind of alienation to a certain extent. You might often think you need to camouflage yourself to feel part of a scene, to make a change to fit into the group. The need for friendship is strong, so you adapt. Maybe not always the way you hoped, but then…  there are moments when we unite and harmonize with other people and feel an incredible community together. That feeling is priceless and a blessing. Friendship is love. It is important and worth fighting for.” 

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