Strap on your headphones and dim the lights. Tilburg’s shadow-dwellers Disdarken – the formidable duo of Alan V. Niculae and Nick Carmine – are about to plunge you into the abyss. Their new single, “Keep The Dark Inside”, dropped May 25th, 2025, and it’s a haunted, atmospheric detonation forged from a literal nightmare. This is synthwave weaponised, a chilling preview of their debut album of the same name arriving August 2025.
The genesis is terrifyingly raw: the track erupted from a visceral, horrific dream experienced by Nick Carmine. Imagine being thrust back into high school halls only to witness – and ultimately realise you are – the perpetrator in a nightmarish school shooting scenario. This isn’t mere inspiration; it’s psychological excavation. Heavy, man. Real heavy.
Forged in the isolating fires of the COVID pandemic, where they first explored their LoFi and Synthwave skills, Disdarken has evolved into masters of haunting melody and vast, oppressive atmosphere. “Keep The Dark Inside” is their signature dialled to the highest. It’s electronic music carrying the emotional weight of a rock opera, hitting on a disturbingly deep level.
This single isn’t a standalone banger; it’s the crucial title track and thematic keystone of their August debut album. Disdarken explicitly frames the album as a “loose” concept piece, fearlessly tackling subjects most dance music flees: the suffocating grip of depression, navigating life with autism, the complexities of love, and the brutal climb back from substance abuse. “Keep The Dark Inside” serves as the perfect, unsettling overture – their 5th single offering fragments of this ambitious, emotionally raw puzzle.
Disdarken’s power lies in their collaborative alchemy. Niculae and Carmine operate as a singular, focused unit, their shared obsession with storytelling through sound evident in every meticulously crafted swell and eerie note. There’s no frontman ego here; it’s a fusion dedicated solely to building immersive, booming worlds of shadow. “Keep The Dark Inside” is pure synergy – where the atmosphere is the narrative, and the darkness isn’t skirted; it’s confronted head-on.
“Keep The Dark Inside” is from a duo unafraid to mine the deepest, most unsettling corners of the human psyche through powerful, atmospheric electronics. It’s a chilling, essential preview of what promises to be one of 2025’s most compelling and thematically brave electronic albums. Prepare to be submerged. Prepare to confront the dark. Disdarken, we thank you!
Disdarken Socials: YouTube