Polytaem is hitting the synthwave scene with her debut release, Anno Domini, July 10, 2020 on Electric Dream Records. Anno Domini is better known as A.D. which is Latin for in the year of the lord. Polytaem told the electroscape Anno Domini contrasts the idea of today with yesterday, just as A.D. contrasts with before christ, or B.C. Polytaem captured the essence of synthwave, saying “…synthwave has got a modern revival. This music allows the listener to be in the past and in the future at the same time.”
Polytaem said she has always been around music. Her father introduced her to classic electronic music from the ’70s and ‘80s, including Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Depeche Mode, Jean-Michel Jarre, and more.
The songs on Anno Domini are, not surprisingly, well crafted, given Polytaem began meticulously writing the album several years ago. The artist was especially inspired by modern darksynth artists, such as Carpenter Brut and Perturbator. She was astonished by how many genres and instruments can be combined to create a truly unique sound, calling it “powerful,” “epic,” and “new.” Anno Domini certainly checks the darksynth box.
Polytaem draws the listener in like a moth to to a light, layering melodies and letting the higher and lower pitches duke it out for center stage. The album features tantalizing synth lines that play like a series of short films constructing a bigger story. Anno Domini features trance-like bass lines, such as in “Into Darkness”, melodies that spiral with no beginning and no end, such as in “Leather Apron”, and chunky bass lines and dreamy melodies that flutter through space like an electric butterfly as in “Zombie Renaissance.” Polytaem masterfully contrasts the dragging of melancholy synth lines with shorter, chippy melodies that circle around each other over and over again in hypnotizing fashion, such as in “Black Mass” and “Zodiac”.
Polytaem said her songs are often inspired by dark, past events, such as the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963 which inspired her to write “Dealey Plaza” after a trip to Dallas, Texas in 2016, the place of Kennedy’s death. She digs into the subject matter deeply and then tries to “paint the story.” When I listen to “Dealey Plaza”, I hear the story unfold. The song begins with a car speeding off. The melody at first is not too grim. There’s a bit of “calm before the storm,” giving the “…feeling that something bad is about to happen.” The story unravels, traveling down new roads after every turn. The music grows increasingly dark. And then we hear the shooting.
The synthwave future for Polytaem is bright. She’s excited to explore new ideas in her future work, especially the addition of vocals on some tracks and developing a live set.