New Skin

(Cleopatra)
by DJ Carrion

Using producer Dave Allen (who’s worked with such high profile acts as The Cure, Depeche Mode, and The Sisters of Mercy) as one of the selling points, this had better be something pretty damn good.

Upon listening, you get taken back to the glory days of new wave, which has been tried numerous times by so many bands, but New Skin pulls it off. The music oozes with so many styles of new wave it’s refreshing. You get touches of Siouxsie & The Banshees, Berlin, and so many more. The music is led by the gritty guitars, with beats that could be hanging out at any retro club at 2 am.

Since the album goes all over the place, I am going follow its lead. The ninth track, “Sweettalk,” has a Cure meets New Order feel, with the snarling Popesque vocals by Jen Jannson. New Skin churns out an ethereal ballad in “Red Roses” as the album near climax point. “Heavenly Made” closes the album by slowing the pace down and stripping New Skin into a slow, dreamlike guitar and vocal strut, finishing with a splash of keyboards and strings to seal the deal.

Dave Allen should be pleased to have helped produced this album. Perhaps in the future, New Skin will join those high profile acts as a selling point.
(www.cleorecs.com)