Reviews: Menthüll and jelly the astronaut

It’s been less than a week since publishing my last set of reviews: I usually take more time in between my writings here on Dark Wave Publications. And that’s because I’m usually very busy. But the pandemic … for some it causes an increase in creativity, for others a lack thereof. For me–I’m floating someplace in the middle, somewhat less of the whatever I was before. Musician, writer, wife, mother … I’m just another human feeling more detached than usual from whatever I am/was.

Some days, I try to stay away from social media as much as possible, my eyes and ears overfilled with the horrors of the world’s current headlines, my brain almost feeling terrorized. But then, as I tend to do in the music business, I’ll come across something, a song, maybe only hearing seconds worth at first. That’s all it takes sometimes. Just a few seconds to draw me in, to want more, to want to share that feeling I had upon hearing it. So that’s what brought me back here so soon–a few new discoveries I’d like to, no … I have to share with you.

Menthüll

It was the very few seconds at the beginning of the song “Face au mur,” by Menthüll that struck me instantly. It is dreamy, danceable, and beat-driven. They are from Hull, Québec, Canada and the songs are performed in French. I love that. It feels right in a way I can’t explain. You have to listen to understand. Both members come from projects that were performed in English, so this move is intentional and I very much appreciate that choice. Take a look and listen to the track for yourself.

The project consists of Blaise and Maryse.

When I asked about their creation process, and their plan to release upcoming songs, they answered:

“Just writing about it makes us really excited! What is the most appealing for us is the creation itself. Starting from scratch, with a few ideas. Starting with a kick drum and a bass line or starting with a simple wave form on the keyboard. The melodies are normally very quick to surface, this is the most exciting time for sure!!!”

This project is very new, so I asked about it’s beginnings:

“We formed in January of this year. For the most part, I’m coming up with the raw ideas and then everything comes together with Maryse. We share a lot of the same musical background and references. We want to be as free as possible in our approach. We have lots to explore.”

They are very worth checking out and keeping up with. You can find them on Bandcamp here https://menthull.bandcamp.com and also on Facebook here https://facebook.com/menthullband/

jelly the astronaut

This is an interesting project. It’s minimalist. It contains a cold, somewhat post-apocalyptic feeling, soundtrack-like. The electro/industrial parts of me that somehow survived the 90s (whew, those times are still a blur), is very drawn to this style. When listening to the few tracks currently available, you might be happy to hear samples begin to creep through your head. I’ll always be a fan a samples, cuts from film, strange somethings that bands like Skinny Puppy and Thrill Kill threw in to basically fuck with the mix and add a kinky flair to things.

Take a listen to this one, “Halfway Happy.”

This track was released on March 16, 2020. This project is still in development. There will be more to come. But who’s the person behind the project? I can’t tell you, because I have no idea. Perhaps this really is music brought into existence by a jelly-like being who also serves as an astronaut out there … you know? Out in space? Some artists just don’t want to be known. They just want to create. We don’t always know the reasons why. It could be a fear of being judged, or that by perhaps knowing who the person is takes something away from the music itself. After all, music should be magic. Or maybe, when the time is appropriate, the person (or jelly astronaut) behind this project will step forward … from someplace in Europe? That might be all I may or may not know. Hmmmm.

Instagram @jelly_the_astronaut