The right critics are starting to take notice – horror film central Bloody Disgusting premiered the album, while synth mastermind Cody Carpenter took a break from the tour with his father to feature on his second Confrontational LP in a row. Usai’s chilly retro creations are well informed and intentional, each one a true love letter to Italian horror and the classic dark wave genre. Kingdom of Night is absolutely his best work yet. Tunes like “Tanit” and “The Night Is Done” wander in the darkness, finding unspeakable answers to foreboding questions, building tension with every mounting second. The one pop offering that Confrontational gives us on side B is a highlight. Usai finds the perfect center of his interests on “Keep Faith”, his duet with dark French pop act Hante (Hélène de Thoury). The two sound wonderful together, trading heavy European accents over endless synthesizers, all creating enough vampiric sensuality to merit a midnight movie premiere. Here, you see that there’s absolutely nothing but conviction in his sound, longing for some semblance of truth in an endless night. It’s this darkness that ends up shrouding both band and listener as the final act is revealed. And with his second Cody Carpenter collaboration, Usai gets to show off a very different segment of his Carpenter influence in shimmering, spectacular fashion. Where A Dance of Shadows collaboration “To Live and Die on the Air” was a driving, soaring pop track, “Crimson Curtains” is nothing if it not conclusive, offering a memorable final scene and fade to black like a magnificent duel of fates. It’s here where the truly cinematic nature of Kingdom of Night is driven home, and it’s a movie you’ll want to hit repeat on. -GERRIT FEENSTRA KEXP