Mareux is the darkwave project of Los Angeles artist Aryan Ashtiani, blending post-punk bass, chilly synths, and a low, steady voice.

From hiatus to a bigger stage

He paused the project mid-2010s before a surge back as his cover of The Perfect Girl found new life online, shifting him from small clubs to bigger rooms. With the recent push around Lovers From the Past, expect a set built on tense grooves and clean, simple hooks. Likely anchors include The Perfect Girl and Lovers From the Past, with new cuts slotted between older mood pieces to keep the flow tight.

Who shows up and why

The crowd skews mixed in age, from longtime post-punk fans to club kids and bedroom producers, with lots of black layers, boots, and soft-lit phone cameras. Trivia worth noting: the The Perfect Girl recording sat on Bandcamp for years before TikTok boosted it, and early Mareux tracks leaned more dance-forward than his current shadowy sound. These picks and production notes reflect informed guesses based on recent output and reports, not a fixed blueprint.

The Mareux Scene, Up Close

This crowd treats the show like a night picture, with black denim, mesh layers, silver hardware, and matte makeup that reads well in low light.

Style cues in the dark

People sing the hooks as a low choir, especially on The Perfect Girl, then go quiet for the verses to hear the bass throb. You will spot vintage band tees from The Cure era mixed with fresh graphic long sleeves and a few DIY patches. Merch leans toward stark serif fonts, long-sleeve prints, and vinyl or cassettes that match the mood.

Rituals before and after

Between sets, fans trade production talk about drum machines and pedals, but the chatter stays friendly and curious. Post-show, the energy often shifts to nearby dark dance nights, making the gig feel like the first chapter of the evening. It is a scene that values restraint and feeling, less about spectacle and more about a shared groove in the dark.

How Mareux Sounds Live

Mareux sings in a calm baritone that rides the kick, giving each line a steady weight without rushing.

The engine under the gloom

Live arrangements favor tight drum-machine patterns, a rubbery synth bass, and a single guitar voice that uses chorus and delay to draw long lines. Tempos sit in the mid-range, which lets the crowd move while the vocal stays clear and close. Songs often strip the verses down to kick, bass, and voice, then add pads and counter-melodies in the choruses for lift.

Small choices, big impact

A neat detail many miss is how the bass patches are voiced in octaves, so the low end hits while the upper octave adds click and shape. Expect small live edits too, like extending an intro by a few bars or dropping the key a half-step to keep the baritone warm on a long run. Lighting tends to be simple and moody, with cold blues and stark whites that frame the silhouettes rather than chase the beat.

Kindred Shadows for Mareux Fans

Adjacent sounds, same pulse

Fans of Boy Harsher will find the same slow-burn synth pulse and a dance floor that nods more than it jumps. TR/ST overlaps in foggy textures and baritone-friendly keys, with a similar push-pull between romance and dread. Cold Cave brings the goth-pop swing and the chorus-drenched guitar lines that often show up around Mareux sets.

Where tastes overlap

If you grew up on The Cure, the mix of bright chorus guitars over dark bass will feel familiar, even as the beats stay more club-ready. These artists share crowds that dress for shadowy rooms but care about melody and clean song shapes. It is less about retro cosplay and more about a modern, minimal take on ache and rhythm.