EP Review: Now After Nothing - Artificial Ambivalence

Step into the realm of Indie-Darkwave with Now After Nothing, Artificial Ambivalence is a testament to evolution, to experimentation, to pushing the boundaries of what is and what can be.

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Atlanta indie darkwave duo Now After Nothing strikes with a thrum and thrill. Songwriter Matt Spatial is a multi-instrumentalist with a flair for the fierce, joining forces with drummer Michael Allen. Together, they twist classic roots into modern reverberations, sparking a sound inspired by the likes of My Bloody Valentine’s lush lilt and Sonic Youth’s fierce, unfiltered power. 

Spatial melds these influences into something electric and exhilarating—goth-glam grooves slick with sweat, raw enough to leave a mark. Fans have called it “S&M disco,” a sinister shimmer of punk, industrial grind, and nocturnal new wave.

“Starting this band was a return to music for me, and more so a reclaiming of my identity, after a relatively difficult time in my life,” Spatial reflects. “I had become lost and depressed without a creative outlet with which to express myself… The name Now After Nothing came about just from wanting to find something that rolled off the tongue and playing around with different words and phrases. At first, it didn’t really have any specific story or meaning, but I quickly realized that it actually had quite a lot of meaning behind it."

True to their namesake, Spatial’s lyrics stitch together themes that bite and burn—social, political, personal truths—into instrumentals layered with darkness. Each of the six tracks on Artificial Ambivalence tells a tale: sometimes blunt, sometimes blurred, about lives twisted in familiar binds, a story born from someone’s raw reality. Sick Fix paints a picture of being trapped in cycles of self-destruction and false promises, where escapism and cynicism clash with a desire for authenticity. Dare explores themes of struggle, resilience, and the courage to break free from emotional chains.

At its core, Artificial Ambivalence lays bare toxic ties—to others, to addictions, to the churning echo chambers of social media, news, and power. 

“Artificial Ambivalence, as a concept, to me represents the state of feeling lost and/or the 'shutting down' from the negativity and toxicity around each of us,” Spatial explains. “They say 'ignorance is bliss', but in the (mis-)information age we seem to have reached a point of being pummeled into exhaustion from the constant barrage of negativity. For some, while the desire is stronger than ever to make positive change in the world, we might get derailed by feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and being powerless in a society that seems to increasingly favor only one set of values.  For others, it's the choice to conveniently ignore the inhumane atrocities happening in our society when those atrocities don't directly impact that individual.”

Now After Nothing released their first single Sick Fix in January 2023, and the road leading toward the album's release in September 2024 was a bruising one: pain, self-reckoning, and restless nights shaped each song. That agony bore fruit, however, landing the band a #15 spot on the Deutsche Alternative Charts just a month later. 

The album was mixed by Carl Glanville (U2, Joan Jett) and mastered by John Davis and Felix Davis. Additional guitar work from Mark Gemini Thwaite (Peter Murphy, Gary Numan, Mission UK) can be heard on Sick Fix and Dare.

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Review

'Sick Fix' has possibly one of the best bass lines I've heard in a long time. The guitar riffs and slides, as well as the subtle yet kick-fierce drums really do power in the self proclaimed 'Indie Darkwave' feel that the band describes themselves as. There's quite an element of post-punk, and pop rock thrown in here too and I actually really like this particularly stylish blend of genre as it sounds fresh to me, unique, and full of exploratory potential. There's that rock twang to the vocals that gives it that sing along edge as well. The chorus is damn catchy and grips you straight away as the tracks drops a slightly heavier bass and riff around 1.25. A damn good introduction to an EP if I ever heard one. 'Criminal Feature' instantly reminds me of another band I like called BELLHEAD in that it has a very 'American' feel of classic rock and dark horror resonating in the bass guitar, the subtle backing guitar, and steady yet softened drums. The track feels like a stifled anger, a commentary on the corruption all around. The cinematic guitar at 2:20 creates a sense of widening of the mind as you listen, the track opening you up to feel more, to listen deeper, as the chorus plays us out.

'Holly' plays in with a touch of romance from the piano and is given gravitas by the accompaniment of the rest of the instruments. There's a real sense of slow melancholy and yet strangely, hope? Like a soundtrack of remembrance, this track even takes on a windswept graveyard walk feeling in it's later half making it one of the most 'Goth' feeling tracks I've listened to. Ooof, 'Fixation Fantasy' feels very much like the new wave of Goth music, much like AFI have now released a wonderful Goth sounding album, this track opens with that same sense of 'New dark wave'. The track becomes somewhat more experimental as it progresses taking the listener for a spin that keeps you in a limbo between the nostalgic feel of Black Market Music Placebo, drifting through postpunk, and teasing that edge of newer sounds, never quite settling as the lyrics guide you through this new 'indie darkwave'. 'Dare' brings a somewhat faster tempo to the riffs and beats, allowing for a more dedicated bop along track. Around 1:40 the guitars even take on a little bit of the Pink Floyd psychedelic, which is a nice touch. The track gets fiercer, louder, and more chaotic in it's last third to keep you hooked.

Finally 'Entangled' feels peaceful, serene at first, like a post-rock illusion before the band kicks back in full. The lyrics really taken on a Gary Numan-esque edge with this one. The soundscape seems wide, full of potential, the mind tumbling gently as the track carries you through its course.

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Conclusion

A rather interesting and unique take on Gothic music, Artificial Ambivalence by Now After Nothing is a great exploration of their brand of Indie Darkwave. The tones, soundscapes, and blending of genre boundaries make this a fascinating listen, all be it one that feels it hasn't quite 'found' or 'defined' itself truly yet. None-the-less, experiencing this fledgling vibe of alternative Gothic music gives a truly resonating sense of hope that there ARE still more avenues that can be experimented with, more unique sounds to be attempted, and a real hope for the future and evolution of Darkwave to come.

Thank you!

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