Clint Carney has recently made a name for himself in the indie horror arena as the star and writer of the recently released Dry Blood (currently streaming for free on IMDB TV). He also served as the visual effects supervisor, editor, and performed several other duties as well. Having spent many years in the film industry working as a prop artist, he’s also very passionate about music. During the late ’90s, Carney began to perform under the moniker System Syn. With a darkwave, goth, industrial sound, he’s recorded over a dozen albums. On June 26th, System Syn will release Once Upon a Second Act and I’m going to give you a closer look.
Once Upon a Second Act is an eleven song trip down a long, dark road. The production has a clean, sleek sound that when played at the proper volume, takes you into a different world to get lost in the lyrics. As for the sound of the record, it has many different influences. At times you get a late ’90s NIN vibe, but if ’80s new ave was given an upgrade, System Syn would be it. Carney’s voice is reminiscent of Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan with a hint of John Cameron Mitchell, creator of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The first three tracks on the album really push the idea of “moving on” instead of “looking back.”
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“The Wreckage,” “Promise,” and the title track are heavy, melodic, and industrial while taking me back to a time when I would frequent goth clubs in the city. With “King of Empty,” the dark lyrics are almost hidden by the fact it’s a catchy dance track. For me, the album really takes off with “We Had Time.” It’s a much slower track that gets under your skin and makes one think about wasting the time you have in life. “Weightless” has a similar theme and effect, touching upon indecision in life. “Knives” is another dance track that’s to picture in a film, such as a club scene. “Collapsing” reminds the listener that there’s an end and the sooner we accept it, the more comforting it may be when it finally arrives. “We Knew You When” picks things up again with the beat but of course it’s a bit depressing. At least for me, it brought up memories of a friend I lost several years ago, throwing away everything he had because he couldn’t defeat his own demons.
The last two tracks on the album are the ones that really, vocally, reminded me of John Cameron Mitchell. “Nothing’s Wrong” is easily the only song that stands out in style. Lyrically, it follows the themes prevalent on the album but is more of a rock song. “The End” is slow, short, piano track that is a hauntingly beautiful send-off for the album. I’m sure that you can guess what the song is about just by reading the title.
I enjoyed the first four songs on the album but, like I mentioned before, when the album gets to that fifth track, that’s when my journey began.
System Syn’s Once Upon a Second Act will release on June 26th. You can pre-order it here.
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