Cameron Findlay / Kontravoid made its first appearance on Omega WUSB during one of our Winter darkness sets; a first-of-its-kind bonus synthwave and EBM broadcast. Then we re-visited him when Boy Harsher posted a club night as “Maskerade” played in the background, which led us to the amazing self-released Faceless (2021). Since then, we’ve been hooked. We can credit him for helping us continue on in our journey through one of darkness’s more electrical acts. But, let’s take a step back at his last proper full-length Too Deep where Kontravoid continued on the lively side of the category and help give snythwave and EMB its power. Merely starting things up with “Open The Wound” with its tumbling voltaic rhythms is a great way to stay curious of what else is in store. Plenty. Some of his stronger tracks are laid out early on with the busy and intense “Turn Away” and “So It Seems (Version 2)” where concentrated synth lines furiously fire way. Findlay could give a nod to goth rock with “Never Alone” (with Kat Doma on vocals) due to its lively basslines while shaping it with new-wave structures and today’s synthlines, and both the self-titled track and “Cost Of Life” could be close cousins with similar-sounding energy and structure. Too Deep is consistently stacked across most of the board, save for the closer “10,000 Voices” when everything cools down to a round-edged finish. Findlay lends his doom-like vocals to give an eerie presence also across the board. The synthwave community would be doing itself a huge disservice if Kontravoid isn’t constantly mentioned in the list of great synthwave bands going today.
