Tainted is both the new album and tour EP from original Berlin based Darkwave act Pink Turns Blue who originally formed in Koln in 1985, this is the bands 13th album. They have just started on an American and European tour for the rest of 2022. Both the album and Ep deal with the state of the world as everything crumbles around us. The band are a trio made up of Mic Jogwar, Paul Richter and Luca Sammuri.
The album opens with Not Even Trying which is not something I would accuse this band of, as this is a cool slice of goth pop for a world that's falling apart and how scary it is to just go outside, let alone try to heal things and get things done in the world once more.
There Must Be So Much more is a plea for forgiveness and reconciliation with a bassline that sounds like it was lifted from Peter Hook this is like Joy Division but with less foreboding doom-laden lyrics, but that doesn't mean this is happy or upbeat, it's just hoping for so much more from you.
I'll Never Give Up continues with the bands blueprint with this song reminding me of Balaam & the Angel quite a bit. So Why Not Save The World adds some piano to the mix and is a bit slower and more deliberate as they send out a message that we all need to do our part to save the world we live in.
I'm Gonna Hold You is a goth floor filler for the alienated and lonely who need the chance of a hug and to feel wanted and needed once more, as they slowly emerge into a world that has changed immeasurably for the worse in the last few years.
It Fades Away has a very familiar sound and will embed itself in your head very quickly as you notice how the good is fading away over that almost pulsing guitar. Never Give Up is always a good mantra until of course it's time to give up, but this is slow pensive and hoping we can bring down the idiocy we are living through to find a way to a better brighter future than our current leaders offer us.
Summertime sounds like it was recorded in bleakest midwinter rather than a sun shining summers day, although the lyrics are rather more summery than the music, although the vocal delivery is still rather down at heart.
Brave New World is slowly strummed acoustic guitar riff with questioning vocals looking around at how things have changed and trying to figure out how you live when you're not allowed to touch anyone else.
The album closes with You Still Mean Too Much To Me a slow pensive song of love and despair for someone your no longer with or who has gone too soon.
The Tainted Tour EP of four songs completed since the album originally came out opens with We Could Still Make It that in places sounds like the Psychedelic Furs trying to win back a lost love or even harder trying to get the world back to a safe and fun place.
Lovers Forever has a slinky bassline that pulsates as the two lovers entwine once more this is perfect for throwing shapes on the dancefloor. The single on the Ep is Not Gonna Take It that thankfully is free from any Twisted Sister influence, as they ask for a chance to get things back to normal and not have to put up with things as they have become over a poppy sounding Joy Division style song.
The Ep closes with We Always Wanted More which is generally understandable as long as what you want more if is attainable and leads to a better saner world for everyone where we work together to tackle global inequality and climate issues as this seeks some comfort in a harsh world.
You can catch them live at SEP 2 Seattle, WA - Funhouse
SEP 3 Vancouver, Canada - Rickshaw Theatre
SEP 4 Portland, OR - Star Theater
SEP 6 Garden City, ID - Visual Arts Collective (VAC)
SEP 7 Salt Lake City, UT - The Urban Lounge
SEP 9 San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
SEP 10 San Diego, CA - Casbah
SEP 11 Los Angeles, CA - Part Time Punks, Echoplex
SEP 15 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive
SEP 17 Dallas, TX - Cheapsteaks (aka. Cheap Steaks)
SEP 18 Austin, TX - Sunny's Backyard
SEP 22 Tampa, FL - Crowbar
SEP 23 Miami, FL - Gramps
SEP 26 Atlanta, GA - 529 Bar
SEP 27 Richmond, VA - The Camel
SEP 29 Pittsburgh, PA - Spirit
OCT 4 Toronto, Canada - The Garrison
OCT 5 Montreal, Canada - Bar Le Ritz PDB
OCT 6 Rochester, NY - Photo City Music Hall
OCT 7 Cambridge, MA - The Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub
OCT 8 Brooklyn, NY - Market Hotel
OCT 9 Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery
OCT 10 Philadelphia, PA - PhilaMOCA
OCT 14 Pinto, Spain - DarkMAD Festival Madrid
OCT 28 Russelsheim, Germany - These Days Festival 2022
DEC 15 Glasgow, UK - Ivory Blacks
DEC 16 Manchester, UK - Night People
DEC 17 London, UK - Electrowerkz
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