Scenius. – Wild & Wooly

[sic] Magazine are thrilled to bring you ‘Wild & Wooly’ the new single by featured artist Scenius.
Scenius take their inspiration from the synthpop heyday of the mid-eighties as well as the rich experimental period of post-punk that preceded it. We covered the English/French duo in our First Glances featurette. They had just released their debut song ‘Glass Rain’ a doom-laden electro stomper. ‘Wild & Wooly’ is trying to be more hopeful, bless it, but cannot hide its darker tendencies.
Beginning like a 21st Century ‘Warm Leatherette’ there’s an almost romantic feeling to Fabrice Nau’s croon.
“Wait til you want me
Til the sun dries above
We make the sky our own”
Except it’s all going bitter, somehow. Going wrong. The music is telling us there’s a malfunction here.
“Open the pod bay doors, HAL.”
With whiplash percussion and analogue synths, there’s more than a hint here of Cabaret Voltaire. (Think ‘I Want You’) But not only the Cabs. The little warble at the back of Naus voice puts me in mind of Andrew McCluskey from that brilliant early period of OMD. There’s a hint too of Heaven 17 and even The Cure’s ‘Let’s Go To Bed’ during the “I just wanted a name…. for it” chorus.
Catchier than a fishing trawlers net. I absolutely loved it.