Svnth are an Italian blackgaze band and this is their fourth album.
I’ve enjoyed watching Svnth develop over the years, back when they were called Seventh Genocide on 2017’s Toward Akina and 2018’s Svnth, and then when they changed their name for 2020’s Spring in Blue, which was their strongest outing yet, even making it onto my year end list. Which brings us, five years and a lineup change later, to the 37-minute Pink Noise Youth.
Pink Noise Youth significantly scales back the epic size and scope of Spring in Blue, providing a more slimline approach. Interestingly, the longest song here is the same length as the shortest song on its predecessor, (ignoring its intro). Deliberate? Accidental? A mere quirk of the .mp3 files I have? Regardless of the truth, it’s indicative as to the refined focus of Pink Noise Youth.
Svnth sound potent and strong on this new record. Their music is a contemporary form of blackgaze. Choice shoegaze and post-rock ingredients are brought together in a feast of sumptuous and melancholic post-black metal.
The promo blurb mentions bands such as Agalloch, Alcest, and Deafheaven, all of which are relevant for approaching Pink Noise Youth. I’ll also throw in Amiensus, Heretoir, Unreqvited, Wayfarer as conditional references too, in places.
Too much blackgaze leaves me cold, but 2025 is apparently a good year for it. While Deafheaven’s Lonely People with Power steals headlines, (rightfully so), there are lesser known gems to be had too, such as Pink Noise Youth. Apart from the quality of their music itself, what I like about Svnth is that despite soaring through well-travelled ethereal realms, they have a well-developed voice of their own within such a heavenly choir.
The music is rich and detailed. The new members have obviously had an impact, although the core of Svnth’s sound remains. A variety of different instruments have been used to add texture, and the songwriting is focused more on the traditional mechanisms of hooks and memorability, rather than the sprawling atmospheric workouts of old. Whatever it is doing though, the material on Pink Noise Youth is never without emotion, and is also ripe with immersive atmosphere.
This new change of direction suits Svnth, and Pink Noise Youth is very enjoyable. I’m unsure yet whether I prefer it or not to Spring in Blue – although they have many similarities, they’re also quite different – but I will say that it has not disappointed at all. It offers a different experience to some of Svnth’s past work, and is a record to dive into and explore at length. The relatively brief running time only helps its cause to. That and the fact that within this duration, there is a lot to experience. I’m really looking forward to getting to know this even more as time passes by.
Wonderbox Metal 