Max Rael’s latest album, “The Enemy Is Us”, is a dark and captivating journey into electronic music, spoken word and experimental pop. Hailing from Hertfordshire and known for his work with History Of Guns and Decommissioned Forests, Rael has crafted a sound that is both familiar and distant. On this album, he introduces his unique “futuretroist” style, blending minimalist synths, darkwave, and carefully designed soundscapes. From the start, tracks like “Slightly Less Than Human” show Rael’s skill at combining nervy electronic rhythms with hooky synth melodies and spoken word vocals. The lyrics reveal his sense of being different from others, a feeling that runs throughout the album. Meanwhile, “Pressing Against The Glass” is a danceable yet melancholy track that captures the ache of not fitting in, turning alienation into something almost celebratory. Other tracks, like the debut single “Brighter Future”, explore coping with chaos and an uncertain world, while its B-side, “The People We Love Have Won (Persistence Is All)”, carries darker tones and references historic performances, adding layers of depth to the album. The album’s production is precise and immersive. Rael handles most of the production and mixing himself, with additional mixing by Caden Clarkson and mastering by Pete Maher, ensuring every synth, drum and vocal line is clear and impactful. Across twelve tracks, “The Enemy Is Us” fuses electronic styles with philosophy, psychology, and reflections on society, creating a thoughtful yet approachable listening experience. Overall, “The Enemy Is Us” is an engaging and inventive album. Max Rael shows he is not just a musician but an explorer of human emotion and experience, delivering an electronic record that is dark, intelligent and memorable.
♦ 8,5/10
Dimitris Zacharopoulos
