De Arma “After Dark, You're There”
Photo credit: Nicklas Lundqvist
“After Dark, You’re There” explores a palpable sense of wistfulness, following the intense quest of an atmospheric emotional journey of the Swedish goth rockers De Arma’s second studio album Strayed in Shadows in 2021. The single, fresh from their upcoming EP Nightcall, leans into a heavier side of De Arma, fusing their dark, metal aesthetics with a sense of cold nostalgia through the 80s synth.
Originally formed in 2009 by Andreas Pettersson and Maria Oja, De Arma dives into the sweet alchemy of genre-bending, honoring their metal root while experimenting with a variety of musical elements. Spanning from a heavy rocker mood in early 2011 to an impressionistic, atmospheric sonic experience in 2021, the spirited rockers have an expansive blossom of sonic palettes that could never die of boredom. In their latest work, their music seems to have solidified and deepened in emotion, time, and space.
“After Dark, You’re There” presents a film noir quality. A drone-like, ever-shifting ambiance introduces you to a gaze that is worth a thousand words. Andreas Pettersson chant-like vocal comes from everywhere and nowhere. It’s deeply emotional yet at the same time blowing in the wind. There’s overwhelmingness in the intensity of emotions on this track.
“I often ask myself — is this a song about a woman? The devil? Or something a bit more mundane, such as alcohol?” Pettersson commented on the track, “It has a kind of ravaged feeling, despite being rather dreamy and soothing.”
“‘After Dark’ is quite different from the remaining two tracks (of Nightcall)— both of which differ somewhat from one another,” he added, “Despite its different presentation, this is definitely the material that’s closest to what we’ve done in the past.”
Nightcall, slated for a May release via Silent Future Recordings, expands on the existing thematic, visual experience of De Arma — being stuck in a dark, dystopian futuristic metropolis while dancing in the spirit of the 80s. The EP will serve as a transition between the duo’s second and third studio album and will be available on limited digipak-CD and colored vinyl with artwork by Boris Groh.
