Gothic rock/darkwave act The Awakening has shared his new single “Mirror Midnight“, which underscores historical tendency towards self-obsession and the media’s recurring manipulation of self-perception.
The track is the first taste of his upcoming self-titled album (their 12th to date), due to be released on October 18 via Intervention Arts. Pre-order your copy here.
Now based in the USA, The Awakening is a dark musical project formed in Johannesburg, South Africa in the late ’90s as the creative expression of vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Ashton Nyte, who was anointed as “Johannesburg’s Bowie” for his widely varying musical styles and theatrical performances. Having morphed over the years, The Awakening’s sound incorporates numerous genres, including gothic rock, darkwave, post-punk, electronic rock, folk noir, new wave and more.
EU/UK fans can hear the new material live on a career-spanning solo acoustic tour, beginning in late September. Full dates below.
Speaking about the single, Nyte says:
“Mirror Midnight is about the obsession of the self, as guided and fed and manipulated by mass media, social media and the endless flood of information and disinformation we all deal with constantly. It’s the juxtaposition of succumbing to insidious and divisive marketing while the world goes up in flames. And how that cycle feeds itself. It’s a story almost as old as time, like the fairy tale it alludes to“.
Nyte, a novelist, actor, and Renaissance man, shot the video in black-and-white with a gothic noir cinematic style. Watch /listen now.
Upcoming Tour Dates
28 Sept – ILMENAU, GERMANY / Campus Noir Festival
29 Sept – LONDON, UK / The Water Rats
02 Oct – YORK, UK / Fulford Arms
03 Oct – EDINBURGH, UK / Cabaret Voltaire
04 Oct – SHEFFIELD, UK / Record Junkee
25 Oct – KARLSRUHE, GERMANY / KOHI Kulturraum
26 Oct – DORTMUND, GERMANY / Pauluskirche
27 Oct – RETIE, BELGIUM – Cafe Foli-A
01 Nov – HAMBURG, GERMANY / Maria’s Ballroom
02 Nov – APELDOORN, THE NETHERLANDS / Brainstorm Festival (SOLD OUT)
Photo credit: Ashton Nyte
