Heliophile – Permeate (CD Album – ScentAir Records)
Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.
Background/Info: Heliophile is an electro-pop band from The Netherlands set up in 2010 by Gijs van Ouwerkerk. If the name of this artist doesn’t ring a bell, you maybe have heard of Seven Waters, which is a metal band Gijs is involved with. But you for sure have heard of Scwarzblut, which released multiple productions on Alfa Matrix and, which deals with a mix of ethereal and dark-electronics. “Permeate” is the first official album released by Heliophile.
Content: This album sounds totally devoted to electro-pop. It’s mixing melancholic passages together with happy pop sequences. The songs are well-crafted and carried by great melody lines. One of the most noticeable cuts is the somewhat Kraftwerk-reminding “Meet The New You”. Another noticeable cut is “Tranen Van De Regen”, which has been sung in Dutch. It sounds unusual, but it’s an original song.
+ + + : You don’t really get the feeling to hear a debut album when listening to “Permeate”. The global production reflects an impressive maturity, which has been characterized by well-crafted songs, creative and refined arrangements, carrying melodies and captivating vocals. “Permeate” reveals a few guitar parts, but it first of all is a great electronic releases.
– – – : I can’t say that Heliophile is setting the electro-pop universe on fire; it’s quite an classical electro-pop production revealing a few mealy cuts.
Conclusion: The least I can say is that Gijs van Ouwerkerk is a musician from many talents. He’s involved with very different bands and seems to feel perfectly comfortable with varied genres. I have to say “Permeate” is a cool piece of music.
Best songs: “Meet The New You”, “Towers So Tall”, “Permeate”.
Rate: (7½).
Artist: www.heliophile.com / www.facebook.com/Heliophile.nl
Label: www.scent–air.com / www.facebook.com/ScentairRecords
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