A groovy beat, a clear drum sound, synths with a touch of new wave, haunting vocals and guitars that will have you reaching for your studded jacket: the first few seconds of Romantic Fiction let you know that you're about to take the first exit to cool town. In the driving seat, Berlin-based New Yorker Luca Venezia aka Curses with his slicked back hair and tattoos. This first album is not exactly what we expected. Curses classily merges EBM, synth wave, post punk and his more electronic background (he started with Institubes in 2007) for an eclectic but coherent album that has been ten years in the making. It’s finally here and it’s excellent. French electro-rock master Jennifer Cardini, who had the bright idea of signing Venezia to the “home listening” division of Dischi Autunno (which also houses Dollkraut and The Magic Ray), also puts his stamp on the album on the track Silence in the Dark. This record has everything you need for your next road trip. © Sylvain Di Cristo / Qobuz