Emerging from the sonic depths of Tilburg, Netherlands, Disdarken isn’t just another electronic outfit dabbling in Post-Punk nostalgia. This duo; Alan V. Niculae and Nick Carmine crafts music that doesn’t just echo the past; it pulls listeners into an abyss of raw emotion and unfiltered darkness. With their latest single, “Alone,” they continue to refine their signature sound, pushing their haunting aesthetic even further. Previously, we explored their mechanical dystopia with “Droid,” but “Alone” takes us somewhere personal into the confined corridors of the mind, where loneliness isn’t just a feeling, but a state of existence.
“Alone again in crowded rooms, I breathe out the last bit of you…” These opening lines set an immediate tone of detachment, resignation, and a deep sense of being trapped within oneself. The song’s introduction is cold, metallic, and deliberately jagged. A discordant guitar, drenched in distortion, rings out over a steady, ominous rhythm section, conjuring an organic and industrial soundscape. There’s a mechanical precision to the beat, like that of early Nine Inch Nails, yet the weighty, doom-laden guitar chords root “Alone” firmly in the realm of metal.
Alan V. Niculae’s vocal delivery is detached and impassioned, rocking between spoken-word despair and a guttural growl that erupts at key moments. His performance carries the song’s emotion, never veering into melodrama but instead channeling a cold, distant rage. When he reaches the chorus; “Don’t ever leave me alone,” his voice cracks slightly in controlled devastation. The layering of these vocals adds to the song’s depth, creating a ghostly effect, as if multiple versions of the singer are trapped in different stages of his own grief.
Lyrically, “Alone” isn’t just about loneliness. It’s about the push and pull between isolation and the longing for connection. The lyric “Destroy everything. Sever every human connection” speaks to a deep-seated anger at the world, while lines like “Don’t ever leave me alone” reveal an internal contradiction; the need for solitude clashing with the fear of complete abandonment. The references to “reloading a save” and “skipping the human section” add a dystopian, almost cyberpunk element to the track, painting a picture of someone who wishes they could erase their existence and start over without the burden of emotions.
Musically, the duo’s production choices make “Alone” a gripping experience. Unlike polished, radio-friendly metal, the song leans into a deliberately raw sound. The guitars snarl with unfiltered distortion, basslines rumble like distant thunder, and the tight and unrelenting drums feel like they’re coming from a place of mechanical doom rather than organic flow. The production carries an intentional roughness, distorting sounds just enough to evoke a sense of unease.
As a preview of their upcoming loose-concept album, “Keep The Dark Inside,” “Alone” serves as a compelling introduction. It’s short, direct, and unforgiving—just enough to give us a taste of the existential dread Disdarken is prepared to unravel in their next body of work. If “Droid” showcased their ability to build dystopian landscapes, “Alone” proves they can take us into the recesses of the mind and leave us questioning whether we ever truly escape our own darkness. With “Alone,” Disdarken solidifies their place in the modern Post-Punk and industrial metal scene—not as mere revivalists, but as architects of a new, harrowing sound.
Listen to “Alone” on Spotify
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