A new album release from Various Blonde does an outstanding job of delivering a soundscape that combines vintage pop rock with an alternative and almost futuristic undertone by utilizing these keys and synths in with their songs to blend textures together and create these songs that are incredibly pop-oriented and infectious straight away.
The record is dubbed Love Is How We Will Survive and throughout its span of 11 Tracks you get elements of everything from psychedelic rock through synth-pop and electronic rock along with elements of a wonderfully progressive approach, but I think the key to this whole thing is the character that is embedded throughout this record.
There's clearly a lot of love going on in the record and it boasts tons of heart.
Vocally this thing gives off a heavy persona that is part of how you get attached to the record as a whole.
Every once in a while, I get to hear a record that really lets you jump into another place and sort of let loose by way of almost forgetting where you are for a little while and that escape is what I've been looking for from certain kinds of music for quite some time so to have it now is incredibly refreshing.
Some of these songs have actual stories and if you pay attention to the lyrics, they are descriptive and feel like they come from genuine places which gives the record all that more authenticity.
You get great guitar tones in combination with great synth riffs that all come together to build a certain atmosphere that you get swallowed up in and it feels really good to do just that.
These are songs you can definitely dance to for the most part and you will find yourself singing along with some by the last chunks of the choruses and I think that's something that is really important in terms of being able to put together a record that takes you to another place and delivers that pop feel as well.
Again, there is that vintage pop undertone that exists and thrives throughout this record really.
This gives me little hints of nostalgia here and there which of course I loved and as a kid growing up in the '80s in early nineties, there are a lot of sweet spots that this record hit for me especially musically.
You also get a lot of that persona I mentioned earlier, through the vocals which is something that feels really big and lush half the time and the whole thing sounds like a soiree of this edgy pop rock with hints of dark edges around the corners.
A handful of songs stick out for me in terms of singles, but you should really be drinking this album in from beginning to end.
Don't tell me you don't have the time to do it.
Listen to this thing on the way to work in the car or pop some headphones on when you have some time alone late at night and you will definitely have a good time jamming to this record because there's a lot happening.
Loads of grooves, that electronic element is always evident, and there is this great balance dynamically between the color and the edginess that make this damn near perfect.
If you don't believe me, just have a listen for yourself like I said.
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