Painted Romans, the (now) neofolk project of Mats Davidsen is back with us with a new single. Not too long ago we’ve been talking about them for the release of their LP Song & Century, and already Mats has released a couple of new tracks. In these two new compositions, “Dreaming is Dying” and “Gold in Silence”, you can see that Mats Davidsen is happy in this new troubadour path that he started following in his previous album. You can listen and download the track from the artist’s bandcamp, and while you’re at it, check out some of his older material.
On Song & Century I pointed out the possible influence of Death in June but, of course, I must confess that I have heard a bit of Douglas Pearce’s music in every neofolk record that I have ever listened too. And since the neofolk pioneers went through so many different phases it’s rare to find any new path in that genre without their footprint. On the other hand, the gentler side of folk, the darker troubadour kind, I discovered with Paul Roland, so obviously he is my other big reference when it comes to cataloguing this music. Following these two models, the first track, “Dreaming is Dying” would be more Death in June, more epic and darker while “Gold in Silence” would be somewhat more melancholic and lighter in comparison.
