Trevor Sensor - A Few Tears of Eros (2025)

Trevor Sensor is the type of artist that, Spotify algorithm failing, you might discover in a fever dream, conjured up in a dark music club among theatre eccentrics. There’s something not quite belonging to the digital age in his sound, even if thematically he navigates the emotional landscape of the modern world. His music evokes artists such as Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Elliot Smith… The list is endless. But, paradoxically, this profusion of association comes about precisely because Sensor is a true original, and as such is so full of ideas that he breathes new life into classic sounds. In his latest album “A Few Tears of Eros” roots music and myriad popular genres are passed through a blender, to stimulating results further enriched by a cultural baggage that encompasses other areas like cinema (with references to figures like Martin Scorsese or Malon Brando) and literature (from Hart Crane to works like the Odyssey or Kafka on the Shore).

The opener ‘When I Had the Gall’ introduces Sensor’s raspy crooner’s voice with a symphonic accompaniment not completely representative of the album’s general feel. And how could it possibly be? The surprising tonal changes are unrelenting until the last track. However, once you reach the end of the album, it all feels nicely tied up thanks to Sensor’s distinctive voice and hallmark inventiveness. The result of this versatility (in both vocals and choice of styles) is a genre-hopping journey through an ocean of influences. And although some tracks work better than others, none fail to keep your ears pricked in anticipation for what might come next. Each song is an original and unique composition. From the southern rock of ‘Heaven’s a Big Disgrace’, to the catchy soulful pop of ‘New York Mourning’ or the dark Dylanesque ballad ‘Too Many Years of Drinkin’ and Cryin’, there’s a song to cater to all different interests and sensibilities.

Sensor’s lyricism is another winning factor. His words pack a punch and are rich in thoughtful turns of phrase and original ideas, hinting at a latent darkness and violence. Imperfect family ties and their lasting imprint on young minds are recurring themes, as is a feeling of certain dissatisfaction that survives even if one keeps ambling on through life. But there’s another side to “A Few Tears of Eros” in its exploration of modern love, in Sensor’s own words, “in a dejected and atomized world”. As he further explains: “A lot of songs I hear deal with the beginnings or aftermaths of romance, but hardly what happens in between. (…) What lurks beneath the surface of happily-ever-afters is what interests me.”