Principe Valiente's debut album finds the band fulfilling the promises of their achievements to date. The Stockholm based band has in a short time gained a reputation for their live shows and are the subject of an increasing interest in their material in clubs and social networks on the internet. Their sound may partly be the result of a variety of elements inspired by the minimalism of certain post punk acts and the lushness of shoegaze, but is primarily characterized by an ambition to break new sonic ground.
This combination of innovative and inspired material makes for an invigorating listen as it is difficult to pinpoint in regard to genre. As a result, their music has frequently been labelled "dark pop", a description that sums up the sonic qualities reminiscent of bands as diverse as The Sisters of Mercy, The Sound, Interpol and Suede.
The music video for the newly released "The Night" has been rotating on german television (topped the Pop10 video chart week 47 & 49) and the band's eponymous 2007 EP has been played on the radio and by DJs around Europe. The EP has also received good reviews on the other side of the pond. As the album has been greatly anticipated, the material has been meticulously scrutinized for the full length effort, work that has resulted in a conceptually and sonically consistent album throughout. Songs like “One More Time” and “New Life” are hypnotic, energetic and powerful and even though the songs work very well in their own right the record is structured enough to create a rewarding album context for the songs as well.
/Mikael Saltzman 2011
Released 2024 by Icy Cold Records.
Track Listing:
01. Intro 01:33
02. Before You Knew Me 03:43
03. One More Time 04:14 video
04. In My Arms 04:26
05. New Life 05:59
06. Solitary Man 01:34
07. Stay 06:01
08. Afraid 05:16
09. 150 Years 05:22
10. The Night 04:43
11. Dance Like There's No Tomorrow 04:11
English