Francesco Amoroso per TRISTE©

Italian duo Pinhdar return with Comfort in the Silence, an intimate yet subtly defiant album. Across its nine tracks, the Milan-based band refine their signature blend of trip-hop, darkwave, and electronica, dreamlike and rich in texture, yet never lapsing into imitation. Instead, they delve deeper into a sound that is unmistakably their own: understated, atmospheric, and deeply emotional. There’s a strong sense of identity here. The sound recalls their previous work, yet nothing feels recycled; it’s about continuity rather than repetition. The minimalist arrangements leave space for feeling and reflection, with ethereal synths and subtle guitar flourishes creating a nocturnal, almost suspended atmosphere. The result is less about catchy hooks and more about immersion. Lyrically, the album explores fragility in a fractured world, touching on themes of war, alienation, and the struggle to remain human. Tracks like Fade and Neiko stand out not for their grandeur, but for the way they linger, balancing melancholy with a quiet sense of calm. There’s a poetic weight to the silence they evoke. What makes Comfort in the Silence so compelling is its quiet confidence. In a landscape often dominated by trends, Pinhdar choose consistency and authenticity. It’s a mature and cohesive work, quite possibly their best yet.

Francesco Amoroso per TRISTE©

The Suncharms originally formed in 1989. Marcus Palmer and Richard Farnell were old school friends and huge music fans who decided to start a band. After playing some gigs in Sheffield around 1989-90, they recorded a few demo tapes and sent them to Wilde Club Records, who offered them a record deal. They released two EPs, recorded a session for John Peel, and then went their separate ways in the early 1990s. In 2015-16, after noticing online that they were being name-checked by shoegaze and indie fans in America, Japan, and Hawaii, The Suncharms were approached by Cloudberry Records, which was eager to release a retrospective album featuring their EPs and other unreleased material from the archives. That’s when all the original members of the band decided to give it another try: they booked a rehearsal room and started writing new material. In 2017, The Suncharms recorded two new songs, Red Dust and Film Soundtrack, which were released by Slumberland Records in 2018. Since then, the band has released two albums, Distant Lights and Things Lost (in 2021 and 2023) both for Sunday Records. Now they’re back with their most accomplished album to date, Darkening Sky: a true masterpiece, often closer to the jangling guitar sound of some Sarah Records acts then to the shoegaze sound of their early years. It’s full of wonderful melodies, lyrical introspection, shimmering guitars, a subtle rhythm section (with the occasional magnificent trumpet) and a cohesive and personal sonic identity.