โSerene Despairโ by Antoin Gibson, under the Circum-Sลnus banner, is one of those rare concept EPs that actually earns the โconceptโ label. Instead of casually name-dropping mythological femme fatales for aesthetic flair, Gibson fully inhabits themโSuccubus, Morrigan, Siren, Medusa, and Bansheeโrecasting their ancient power into modern soundscapes that slip between cinematic, dark pop, and electronic darkwave without losing the thread.
โVessel of the Lovelessโ opens the set with a sensual, smug, and predatory thump, the Succubus croons over heavy drums, her voice a velvet trap. Then โSociopathโs Kaleidoscopeโ slows the heartbeat, trading in bombast for a haunting, shadowed ballad where The Morrigan surveys the ruin sheโs foretold. The midpoint, โNightshade Simmering Secrets,โ flips the energy, here the Siren is a club DJ, her light, echoing vocals swirling above pulsing darkwave, luring you to dance until the floor drops away. Itโs hypnotic, dangerously so.
โMaze of the Serpentine Gazeโ feels like a descent in five minutes of cinematic weight, all tension and inevitability, where Medusaโs beauty and curse intertwine. Finally, โMy Lifeโs Dirgeโ closes on the Bansheeโs wail, pared down to soft, elegant piano and a high, fragile vocal that feels like it could shatter at any moment.
The throughline is the paradox Gibson nails in the title. Each track balances beauty and destruction, allure and danger, serenity and despair. And because Gibson writes, performs, produces, and releases everything herself, the vision stays razor-sharp. โSerene Despairโ is a world, and once you step inside, itโs hard to leave.
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Photo credits: Antoin Gibson โ Photoshoot
Review by: Naomi Joan