The alter ego of Antoni Maiovvi, think of Jason Priest as synthwave’s answer to Ziggy Stardust and on this, the debut full-length, Priest gets a fitting soundtrack for his introduction into the world. Combining the hopefulness and nostalgia of New Order with the raw, Electro-fied emotion of The Soft Moon, Jason Priest Is Missing captures this undeniably electric feeling on a record that encapsulates everything that the term “wave” (Read: synth, dark, etc) should be attached to from here on out.
Subtly fading in with a hypnotic thumping, “When The Clown Cries” begins this sonic journey with an enduring anthem that melds new school feels with old school vibes while “Be Thankful, Billy” charges out of the gate as a dance floor ready rager that’s ridiculously enticing with Priest’s broad, broken up verses blanketing an already smooth sheen of synthetic bliss.
“Robes” is a little Dead Or Alive and a lot of just crazy good throwback sounds propelled at listeners’ earholes at breakneck speed while “White Anglo-Saxon Protestants” slows it down and employs a masterful instrumental intro that’s no less frenetic with the cacophonous percussive blasts hurled at each other before getting to the nitty gritty and Priest’s baritone delivery which, at times, brings Peter Murphy to mind.
“Gone Upstairs” has a little Mr Kitty in it while “The Power” is another anthem and then some, shimmering and shining like a glorious beacon of light amongst the all encompassing aura of Darkwave. “March 25th” is a pulsating march filled with this steady, calculated vocal line from Priest that exquisitely segues into the sobering “Dead Again” which ends the album on a profoundly powerful note and an elegant futuristic symphony.
Jason Priest Is Missing arrives on June 11th through Midnight Mannequin Records. Pre-order yours here! For more on Jason Priest, follow the socials by clicking here, here, or here.