In 2012, American electronic musician BT and English singer/songwriter Christian Burns -- best known in popular culture as one third of the early-2000s pop vocal group BBMak -- formed the duo All Hail the Silence. Seven years later, they finally released their '80s synth pop-inspired debut, Daggers. While this union between an electronic veteran and a boy band survivor might seem curious, the pair had already been collaborating for years before making it official. After the dissolution of BBMak in 2003, Burns went solo, eschewing the world of pop and heading in a fully electronic direction. In the midst of guesting on other artists' tracks and issuing his own solo album, 2013's Simple Modern Answers, he met BT, co-writing and appearing on a pair of the trance pioneer's early-2010s efforts, These Hopeful Machines and A Song Across Wires. With these collaborations already under their belts, they decided to form a duo in March 2012. Although their official debut would not arrive until the end of the decade, they toured the project, most notably with Erasure in late 2014. While their early partnerships featured progressive house energy and hard-hitting beats fit for clubs and festivals, compositions for All Hail the Silence focused on the chilly pop textures of '80s synth pop and new wave, echoing heavy-hitters of the era like Erasure, Depeche Mode, Yaz, OMD, and the Human League. Similar to other new wave revivalists such as the Black Queen, Blaqk Audio, or even Fischerspooner, their debut Daggers mimicked the dark vibes, pulsing beats, and dramatic lyrics of their '80s forebears. Self-released in 2019, the LP included lead single "Diamonds in the Snow." ~ Neil Z. Yeung