PRESS

"The four-track EP Fall Into Me from post-punk band Social Union is the kind of slap in the face I need occasionally. It’s stark production, angular riffs, and ghostly sweet vocals are reminiscent of classic bands such as Bauhaus, the band and Siouxsie Sioux as well as more contemporary bands like The Soft Moon, COLD CAVE, and Preoccupations. Everything clicks on the band’s Blackjack Illuminist Records debut. One of my favorite tracks is the sleek and sinister “Choke”, while “Our Hands Don’t Fit” almost goes into A Place To Bury Strangers territory. A dreamy-yet-visceral sound world for our modern times." - Complex Distractions (USA)

"The balance between pleasantly dark and depressive is perfectly balanced by Social Union" on their new EP. [...] The absolutely timeless sound underlines a certain melancholy, but is still rousing and pleasantly activating. [...] Everything on “Fall Into Me” leaves a reverberation, like a seemingly random swipe of the back of your hand that is then remembered hours later. In no way does it seem as if only two people are making music together here, in an almost magical way. [...] Even if the vocals come across as otherworldly, the duo's lyrics deal more with human strife and the sometimes haphazard stumbling of the heart and mind through this world." - Krachfink (GER)

"Carrying the flag of magical music for their home country. There’s a distinct sense of cohesiveness between these tracks, and when they vary it’s far more nuanced and thoughtful. But the duo of Martin and Penrose shine bright throughout, and their efforts as a unit – in melding different energies and even in how the instrumentation aligns (or doesn’t) with the vocal performance – is honestly what makes this EP most compelling.[...] [I]t’s about as direct as a kick to the face, and you’re left awash amid this really rich musical and aesthetical landscape [...] this EP feels like a distillation of some great beast they’ve created together—a living, breathing organism of sharp emotions, dynamic production, and lots of ethereal energies." - Merry-Go-Round Magazine (USA)

"A sludgy dive into the craggier corners of new wave, post-punk, and synth-pop. Ethereal vocals weave in and out of inky rhythms and propulsive melodies, recalling the work of The Sisters of Mercy and Joy Division, but all wrapped up in a sleek and bombastic packaging that would have found good company on Siouxsie and the Banshees’ Kaleidoscope. [...] These songs are adaptive, prone to sudden shifts, and are vivid portraits of angsty introspection cocooned within swirling bits of distortion. Often claustrophobic, and occasionally riddled with scraps of light, Fall Into Me is a dense tide of shivering basslines, buzzing synths, and cacophonous percussion – and it’s a pleasure to become lost in its turbulence." - Beats Per Minute (USA)

"Four songs that unite the best of the alternative 80s, witty, melancholy, danceable , simple and therefore irresistible. [...] Remember that name - Social Union. You must hear [these songs]." - Dark Entries (BEL)

"Could be the beginning of something really big and new. [...] What we get here is neither Gothic nor Wave. Rather, Social Union sound like an alternative hipster who accidentally finds himself in a goth club but finds it nice there and decides to stay. [...] Social Union bring together distant, yet fairly easy-going vocals with classic 80s gloom. [...] This EP is great in the quality of the songs and intelligent in its arrangements." - Unter.Ton (GER)

"Social Union have a swarming, druggy, lo-fi spin on darkwave that manages to be both driving and dreamy on this particular track, with maybe a little hint of hyperpop mashed in for good measure. A nice bit of angst which casts." - I Die: You Die (CAN)

"13/15 - [H]ypnotic whirlpool [...] [C]aptivates from the first second. [...] It is not only due to the enraptured singing that the music conveys a certain coldness and distance. At the same time, this EP is loaded with emotions from the first to the last note, almost to the breaking point. [...] Driven, restless, almost a little desperate. And yet there is the hope that at least one day luck will knock on the door. [...] Introverted strength instead of extroverted poses. That could be something like the motto of SOCIAL UNION. In just twelve and a half minutes, this duo creates an engaging atmosphere that borders on an inner ordeal on "Fall Into Me"." - musikreviews.de (GER)

"8/10 - Excellent debut EP [...] There’s a perfect osmosis between the female vocals and the guitar play. [...] I like the retro elements with a refreshing touch on top. The guitar playing injects the spirit of this record, which is alternating darkness and evasion. The vocals have something mysterious and fragile, which sounds in perfect harmony with the sound." - Side-Line Magazine (BEL)

"I couldn't not take a look at this, as the groups music is full of eighties sounding synth which I always love. [...] I love synth music and so I really loved the dark style Social Union brought. Fall Into Me was a wonderful EP that left me wanting more. [F]or an example of great throwback eighties synth style music check this out." - The Rotting Zombie (UK)

"They show a perfectly served and above all delicious mix of coldwave, post-punk, gothic, shoegaze and dream pop. It leaves you wanting for more and makes this beautiful gem a great promise for the future." - De Subjectivisten (NL)

"9.9/10 - Extremely cool mix of industrial and pop and yeah it's a little bit of all those genres the band lists. The vocal is great, it's like an 80's pop vocal mixed with Nine Inch Nails and Electric Youth. The palette of sonic textures used on each track is wonderful with a haunting reverb wrapped vocal that at times dances to the front and the back of the mix in an intriguing way. Perfect." - Blood Makes Noise (UK)

"Fabulous darkwave coming from New Zealand that easily matches the likes of Twin Tribes or She Past Away. It is a pretty lush mix between the vocals, electronics and guitar work. Social Union holds your attention with their wonderful compositions, borne of light thrown on murky corners, matched with soul touching simplicity." - Onyx Music Reviews (AUS)

"The four driving tacks, bathed in dark-wave goodness, are deeply personal underneath the various synth layers, vocal glitches and riveting guitars; lyrics about the realities of unrequited affection, the despairs of addiction, and people who cross lines, as well as a love letter from Vanilla to Luke, assuring him that she would still be there if he was to relapse from his sobriety." - Flying Nun Records (NZ)

"Feels familiar and immediately draws in the listener but at the same time still paints its own picture. That is, in many ways, what I look for in music [...] this also can get faster paced and a little bit spooky. [...] somewhat like if Lana Del Rey was fronting Blondie. [...] The songs can also take on this incredible weight, which makes them sound like thunder and it's just heavy without being metal. [...] Every individual song still feels like its own little album and that it has its own distinct purpose." - Raised By Cassettes (USA)

"This uber cool dark electro offering from the New Zealand duo is out on Berlin-based Blackjack Illuminist and mixes triphop heavy bass with a dreamwave vocal, deservedly drawing rave reviews for what is a varied but highly promising debut EP." - Gothic/Post-Punk Revival Blog (SCO)

"The songs possess a kind of muted danger. The otherworldy sense of a chase or raised blood pressure. They are tuneful. The basses threb and coat your guts and the vocals drift ethereally between your ears. The songs are built on a foundation of 1980s style synth pop, mixed with 2000s indie rock and movie music. The songs sweep. They jump. They swim. They pulse. They fill you with energy and they get buried in your mind." - ISSUES Magazine (USA)

"Will likely generate a ton of buzz [...] I am not one to post in the electronic or goth wave genre much, so when I do, you’ve got to know I am feeling these sounds. The title track stands out as tops from the 4 song EP and could easily be a song of summer for those who prefer cold, dark bars in place of lakes and general heat related things. This EP is an electronic banger that totally caught me be surprise today." - Austin Town Hall (USA)

"New & notable" - Bandcamp (USA)

"It could have been recorded in the early to mid 1980s. A repetitive cheap drum machine and burbling bass synth, topped with effects laden guitar and jolting synth melodies, underpin cold, distant girl vocals of a certain frosty charm. Goth, Darkwave, Industrial and dark-pop combine in an outsider stance – all black on black! Numan meets the Sisters of Mercy and early Cocteau Twins on a late night, last bus home through Hulme (Manchester) circa 1983!" - Monolith Cocktail (SCO)

"The EP has already proven itself and keeps its promises, allowing us to discover a business smoothly conducted." Muzzart (FRA)

"“Fall into Me” melds dark emotional pain with cold, distorted, and unhinged dimensions to layer heavy, swirling, buzzing bass line trembles with ominous, marching and rolling beats under dire, squealing effect-laden tears and distant, angsty synth bursts to build a stormy, toxic tide around desperate dreamy female vocals drawing helpless breathes of fear and abandonment from sticking cycles of longing and dread." - White Light/White Heat (ITA)

"They make damn fine music." - Life Elsewhere (USA)

"Mysterious, dark and stirring. [...] The distorted sounds and the artificially altered voice produce a magical soundscape that is filled with crude, poetic content. [...] Social Union are an art rock project that focuses on details, on introverted strengths, on depth of content" - Underdog Fanzine (GER)

"These are sound collages and sound paintings of five mystical songs [...] which appear colder and darker than they actually are on the inside. [...] Vanilla's voice offers some underlying warmth even in its darkest intonations, joined by Luke's heavy guitars that propel the tracks, and mechanical drums that feed on lively fills, breathing musical life into the entire EP." - BLACK Online (GER)

"8/10 - Synth post-punk and darkwave with reminiscences to Minuit Machine, Boy Harsher, Leathers and Kill Shelter with vocals from the world of Siouxsie Sioux." - OX Fanzine (GER)

"Mixes synthpop traits, vintage/indie flavor and evident post-punk/darkwave influences with effectiveness [...] The duo already shows encouraging signs, by virtue of good ideas" - Darkroom Magazine (ITA)

"Fuzzy darkwave, spilling over into new wave and indie rock, it appeals from the first listen." - Prémonition (FRA)

"Social Union immerses us in layers of synthesizers with rough textures and aggressive rhythms which are united by reverberated voices, which transmit endless dark sensations with a small light between all of it." - Oleada Indie (MEX)

"The title track, a brooding and propulsive piece, strikes a superb balance between its somber subject matter and its instrumental vitality, always with a dark undercurrent." - Destroy/Exist (UK)

"Wonderfully invites you to a long car trip with the camper trailer. You can only drive 80 km/h anyway, so just relax, arm out the window, roll a blunt, can of beer on your lap. Influenced by the architecture of the Soviet Union in pretty Eastern Europe, the duo tries to wring a bit of a bad mood out of the bright part of the globe [New Zealand], but it's not really depressive. They just have too much vitamin D for that." - Manierenversagen (GER)

"Fall Into Me is a powerful track with an interesting backstory that illustrates the superb blending of post punk and darkwave that New Zealand duo Social Union has to offer. The band's debut single is a haunting tune with industrial and synthpop influences to its post punk basis, with the brooding vocals and creative production working really well together." - Darkenin Heart (UK)

"Quite the emotional single to say the least. The artist simply doesnt hold back at delivering something that could even make you tear up, as we were close to. The sensetivity is very prominant within the single [...]. The vocals are just compelling to the ears as well and calm you down." - Death or Desire (USA)

"Dark and hypnotizing with mesmerizing vocals, well-marked drums an synthesizers in full swing" - Roadie Music (BRA)