MODEL/ACTRIZ - Swan Songs

The rawness of their debut “Dogsbody” had gradually brought Model/Actriz to the attention of the public, laying solid noise and industrial foundations through which the band had managed to forge their own personal language right from the start, while the more recent “Pirouette” had just (re)confirmed their songwriting and compositional quality, folding in pop and dance detours and easily ranking among last year's standout works.

The “Swan Songs” episode marks their return in a very short format and comprises three experiments born from the post-sophomore sessions, all produced together with their now-trusted collaborator Seth Manchester (Daughters, Lingua Ignota, Liturgy). Alongside the EP's surprise release came the announcement of a tantalizing new opportunity to catch the New York quartet live in Italy in late May, at the spring edition of Poplar, at the Mart in Rovereto.

The swan named in the title of the work is a symbol of purity and innocence, as well as solitude and death, a perfect metaphor for the shadows and extremes between which the lyrics penned by frontman Cole Haden's sharp, fine pen bounce back and forth like stray shards, alongside the notes conjured by bandmates Jack Wetmore (guitar), Aaron Shapiro (bass) and Ruben Radlauer (drums).

Greeting the listener are the relentless, dizzying industrial rhythms of “Glassman”, by now an unmistakable trademark of the Brooklyn band, enriched with hypnotic dance flourishes; it's followed by the dark, intimate ballad “Thank You By Dido”, as fragile and heartrending as it is unsettling and intense, which masterfully blends echoes of Lingua Ignota's and Ethel Cain's productions.

I’m the only one who saw

What my tears made beautiful

They cut the air

Like shattered glass

They bent the trees

Like black ribbons

The perfect triptych is closed out by the muffled tolls and jolts of “Majesty”, which oscillates between pain, anger, revenge and vindication, sonically uniting the two sides of the coin represented by the moods described in the previous two tracks.

No point beating around the bush any further: this band doesn't put a foot wrong, there's nothing left to add.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

01/04/2026