“Scream” is the debut single from Taurian, an intriguing new London-based musician originally from Romania. The first single to be taken from his self-titled debut album (out November 6th), “Scream” builds from sinister Prodigy-style menace to a huge cathartic chorus.
“It’s a good introduction to what I do,” says Taurian, the multi-instrumentalist/producer born Radu Constantin. “It hits me as hard now as it did when I wrote it when I was studying in Manchester. The way it changes atmosphere defines my sound, to an extent.”
He’s not exaggerating – Taurian is a record that makes you stare into the abyss before encouraging you into the light, often within the same song. The album’s ten tracks prowl from Portishead to Pantera via the visceral thrills of Twenty One Pilots, Four Tet and Jon Hopkins’ atmospherics. It’s far from easy listening, yet it’s frequently joyful and has a musical breadth to match his all-encompassing lyrical landscape.
Taurian has kept the nickname he was given by his girlfriend while studying for a degree in sound engineering at The School Of Sound Recording in Manchester, in honour of his star sign. “Being Taurus means you have single-mindedness and the ability to really focus on something,” says Taurian. “We don’t give up on something until we’ve achieved it.”
That’s certainly been the case for Taurian, ever since he came to England from his home “between two mountains” in Romania, where he grew up on the music his Rammstein-loving father introduced him to while working as a hard rock DJ at a radio station. He relished the multi-cultural, cosmopolitan nature of life in Manchester, as well as the diversity of its music scene.
“I learned my guitar chops to Pantera, and The Doors is music perfect for the mountains back in Romania,” he explains of the sounds which have shaped him as an artist. “Going through depression as a teenager, it was important to have music which spoke to me. From extreme metal, it’s been grunge, progressive bands, jazz and everything in between, before I discovered trip-hop and dance music in Manchester.”
Taurian is an album born from break-ups – from his girlfriend and from The Night Suns, his hard rock band who split just as they were getting established on the live circuit. If an album about recovering from heartache doesn’t sound a recipe for optimism, don’t be fooled. There’s as much beauty as bleakness here. “It’s important not to depress anyone,” emphasises Taurian. “I don’t want to offer just one side of life’s coin. If the album is sometimes dark, it’s because my own fight is on these songs, but I’ve ended up coming through it.”
It took emotional trauma and the grandeur of great art to get here, but there’s little doubt Taurian is an album that will establish its maker as a compelling musician, capable of creating anything. His success is written in the stars.
The debut album ‘Taurian’ is released November 6, 2020
