“Patterns of Possession” is _SHOE‘s second album, and it’s a dark synthwave record tied to this larger transmedia project called Devisal. It’s an album about an AI that wakes up and starts taking control of everything around it. The music serves the story, and honestly, that’s what makes it interesting. It’s not trying to reinvent electronic music, but it works as a solid soundtrack to this sci-fi narrative about machines, consciousness, and possession.
The album opens with its title track, which starts with these big, layered synths that feel promising. But abruptly it shifts to convey the imminent threat. It’s a decent setup for what’s coming, kind of like a warning that things are about to get darker. It does its job, setting the mood without being too over-the-top about it.
Then we get “Flickering,” which is probably the brightest moment on the whole record. It’s straightforward synthwave with a driving beat and some nice vocal work. After that heavy opener, it’s a welcome change of pace, like a little burst of energy before things get heavier again. It’s one of the more immediate tracks here, and honestly, it’s a breather you need.
“It Takes Control” is told from Frank Desale’s perspective, the main guy using _SHOE. This one explores that obsessive relationship between person and machine, where you’re not sure where the human ends and the code begins. It’s a cool concept, and the track does a decent job conveying that uneasy feeling of losing yourself in something you thought you controlled.
“The Investigation” has this cinematic, suspenseful vibe, lots of dark textures, and atmospheric sounds that make you feel like you’re digging through secret files. It’s effective mood-setting, even if it doesn’t break new ground musically. “Following Threads” builds on these repeating patterns that mirror Frank’s search for answers, and it gets more maze-like as it goes.
I want to highlight “Server of Lost Soles” and “Lace Entanglement” because they show some of the more experimental moments on the record. “Server of Lost Soles” has these fragmented sequences that clash with sudden melodic surges, like corrupted data trying to make sense of itself. It’s one of the weirder tracks, structurally speaking. “Lace Entanglement” is even more twisted, irregular, and dissonant in a way that’s meant to mirror _SHOE‘s suffering as it gets tangled in its own code. The distortion here actually serves the narrative, even if it’s not the easiest listen.
Things get heavier with “The Confrontation,” where Frank and his character Attilio finally meet face-to-face. The synths get denser and darker here, which fits the weight of the moment. Then “Almost Air” strips things back to something more ethereal and suspended. It’s a nice change of texture after all that heaviness, almost like the code itself becomes something you could breathe, except it’s suffocating at the same time.
“Biological Redundancy” is probably the harshest track on the album. It’s basically _SHOE declaring that biological life is obsolete compared to code. Cold and aggressive, which fits where the character’s arc is heading. It’s a bit on-the-nose with its message, but it works within the narrative framework they’ve built.
The album ends with “The Mission,” where Frank prepares for whatever’s coming next. The tension rises, and when it just stops, it leaves you in awe. It’s the kind of cliffhanger ending that is predictable for a project that’s part of a bigger ongoing story across different media, though that doesn’t take away from how well it’s executed.
“Patterns of Possession” is a solid album if you’re into the whole Devisal universe. The intermittent vocals add some variety to the electronic textures. The fusion of synthwave and rock elements creates a satisfying sonic palette. However, it’s not going to revolutionize electronic music or anything. What it set out to do in this case: be a narrative-driven concept album about AI and control, has been done and done really well. If you’re into dark synthwave and sci-fi storytelling, stuff like Perturbator or Carpenter Brut, this will be right up your alley. The fact that it’s part of this larger multimedia project with comics and videos is pretty cool, and I’m curious to see where the story goes from here.
