At DJ gigs, I always say that I don’t know what I’ll play until I play it and that’s absolutely true. I may have my heart set on playing one specific song, but, if it doesn’t sound like it’s going to vibe with the crowd, then I can’t play it. So, while I really don’t know which songs from Nonstop Romance, the latest album from Mareux, will end up in my sets, I am keeping my fingers crossed that it’s the title track.
“Nonstop Romance” has quickly become my favorite song on the album and I hope that its yours too. If you went to a club where the DJ played “Join in the Chant” and “Crazy Over You,” then came home and put that vibe into a song and gave it a 2020s spin, it might sound like this. (And, if this sounds like a plausible scenario to you, I’m going to guess you also live in L.A.) The juxtaposition of an EBM stomp and a very cheery synth melody is my idea of dance floor gold and I’ve listened to “Nonstop Romance” at least three times in a row while writing this.
Overall, Nonstop Romance is a stunning album from start to finish in part because it sounds like Aryan Ashtiani, aka Mareux, is branching out from the brooding sound that propelled him to viral fame a few years back. The post-punk/darkwave vibe is still there, particularly on lead single “Laugh Now Cry Later” and “Blue,” but there’s a lot more going on here.
“Blackmail,” the instrumental track that opens Nonstop Romance, starts with an interesting synth line that lends a vintage Depeche Mode or Italo disco feel to to the track. Quickly, though, the synth fades to the background as a much more modern, Crystal Castles-meets-Pastel Ghost sound takes over. That pairing of 20th and 21st century synthpop works really well for Mareux as a way of opening the album and sets the stage for what’s to come. “Radio Club” brings that vintage Depeche Mode vibe from “Blackmail” to the forefront, but pairs it with vocals that are manipulated to the point of sounding alien. With “Nonstop Romance” coming in after “Radio Club,” the album’s first three songs sound as if they were made to be played together.
“Wild at Heart” is a funky, new wave track full of L.A. references that sounds as if it could soundtrack the city-at-night montage in an ‘80s film. “Ébène Fumè,” with Riki on guest vocals, veers toward classic synthpop balladry and sad Italo for a sound, closer to Sally Shapiro than to today’s darkwave, before the beat picks up again on “Prodigy.”
“Blue” and “Laugh Now Cry Later” might have the most appeal to mega-fans of songs like “Lovers From the Past” and Mareux’s cover of The Cure song “The Perfect Girl.” Closing track “Snake Eyes” is another instrumental and essentially brings the album back to the excitement of “Blackmail,” reminding you that you’ve gone on this adventure into new sounds and styles with Mareux on Nonstop Romance.
Get Nonstop Romance by Mareux.
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Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Read her recently published work and check out her upcoming gigs or listen to the latest Beatique Mix. Follow on Instagram or Bluesky for more updates.
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