“Serene Despair” by Antoin Gibson, under the Circum-Sŏnus banner, is one of those rare concept EPs that actually earns the “concept” label. Instead of casually name-dropping mythological femme fatales for aesthetic flair, Gibson fully inhabits them—Succubus, Morrigan, Siren, Medusa, and Banshee—recasting their ancient power into modern soundscapes that slip between cinematic, dark pop, and electronic darkwave without losing the thread.
“Vessel of the Loveless” opens the set with a sensual, smug, and predatory thump, the Succubus croons over heavy drums, her voice a velvet trap. Then “Sociopath’s Kaleidoscope” slows the heartbeat, trading in bombast for a haunting, shadowed ballad where The Morrigan surveys the ruin she’s foretold. The midpoint, “Nightshade Simmering Secrets,” 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. It’s hypnotic, dangerously so.
“Maze of the Serpentine Gaze” feels like a descent in five minutes of cinematic weight, all tension and inevitability, where Medusa’s beauty and curse intertwine. Finally, “My Life’s Dirge” closes on the Banshee’s 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. “Serene Despair” is a world, and once you step inside, it’s hard to leave.
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Photo credits: Antoin Gibson – Photoshoot
Review by: Naomi Joan