Atomic Eyes, by The Rain Within

"Slow tempo songs as massive destruction weapons."
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Combining the 80s retro beats with modern electro-rock sounds and a good dose of darkwave music, The Rain Within uses slow tempo songs as massive destruction weapons in the album “Atomic Eyes.”

Serving as a time machine for the ears, each of the tracks makes the listener travel decades to the past, when music was simpler and not as elaborated nowadays. You can literally feel the unique, raw feelings that compose these songs, a genuine exploration of emotion and spirits that each of the lyrics carry.

Speaking of which, I had to stop everything around me and really pay attention to the lyrics, as I felt there was a distant, lost part of me hidden in the voice of Andy. “Rain” was the best example given its narcotic, addictive tunes, and I could even consider it as my personal favorite.

Despite “Like the Devil” opens the curtain for a solid record as the first track, it is with “Dividing Line” that the listener gets a more complete idea of what the album will be like thanks to its structure. I cannot stop listening to that one, or the phantasmal “Realign,” two songs that could have been taken out of a movie soundtrack.

It doesn’t matter how many times I listened to the songs, I keep getting Fantasy and SciFi vibes from them, especially with the title track, “Atomic Eyes,” filled with mystery, or with “Nothing Here, Nothing There” and “Midnight,” which could be considered the darkest of tracks in the record.

"Atomic Eyes feels more natural, warmer."
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Melancholy plays a significant part on the lyrics and even the music, not a coincidence then that many of the songs, despite their slow pace, made me fall into a trance of past memories that, interestingly, do not belong to me.

Those who like dramatic instrumentals and unusual combinations with strong, elaborated results, will love to know that such a powerful disc as Atomic Eyes ends with “Android Hearts,” a highly emotive track consisting on a march that combines the spectral and the steampunk aesthetics. Truly a masterpiece.

What has left me thinking a lot is the vague idea that certain segments of some songs seem to be inspired by “Somebody Told Me,” by The Killers. Behind the dark lyrics, the Vaporwave-like sound in a couple of tracks and the ghostly voice of Andy, I could feel a distant similarity with the single, especially at the beginning of “Small Precious Light.” Whether intentional or not, the likeness offers an interesting layer whenever it appears.

Atomic Eyes brings several elements from the past in The Rain Within but innovating the proposal offered to the fans. Not surprising considering the creativity behind the project, but it will amaze both newcomers to its sound and draw the fans closer to this interesting world that keeps growing up record after record.

When compared to the old songs, Atomic Eyes feels more natural, warmer, and not as synthetic despite the electronic genres. The Rain Within has never been a commercial proposal, but there’s a clearer approach to the ideas presented in this album, a more honest and raw side of emotions we all experience, making this an organic disc many could feel identified with.

I cannot wait to see what will come now!

Read the interview I had with Andy here!