ARTIST: Fornever

ALBUM: Smile

LABEL: Autumnal Release

REVIEWER: Matthew J.

DATE: 4-7-10

The newest album from Joshua Heinrich's Fornever project sees earlier darkwave influences creeping back into his work while at the same time his songwriting continues to move in a more mature pop direction. "In the Blink of an Eye" and the wonderfully airy "Under the Gun" highlight Fornever's wistful pop sound at its best, with effects-drenched electric guitar strums floating breezily above pulsing analog drum machines and perky blips, and "Hands Around My Heart" sounds almost like a moodier version of The Lightning Seeds with its upbeat hooks juxtaposed against melancholy vocals. Despite the evocative warmth of its name, title track "Smile" is cold and icy, all cold meandering electronics, but its evocative lyrics make it a standout. Memorable for entirely different reasons is "Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder," a perfectly realized darkwave number that could've been a lost late '80s classic with its strings-like guitar effects, reverb-heavy beats and a bridge built on industrial loops. Similarly highlighting the album's more retro inspirations are the tense gothic rock-inspired "Chasing Orion" and "She Writes Underwater," driven by wailing guitars and thrumming bass. Still closer to the dark but dreamily emotive pop of groups like The Cure, The Church or even My Bloody Valentine than anything else, this album further establishes Heinrich's unique take on the genre by shedding a little more light into his darker, harder-edged early influences.

For more information about Fornever and Joshua Heinrich's other projects, visit the Autumnal Release label at http://www.autumnalrelease.com/.