With Worth of Progress, FREND swirled up a synth pop meets EBM earworm primed to bruise, not simply with sticky Human League-style hooks, however with lyrics that received’t cease needling at your conscience lengthy after the observe fades. Proper from the opening, these sugary vocal harmonies stretch over space-age synth traces, channelling that 80s nostalgia earlier than snapping you straight again to now with a kick of bass and the chilly slap of actuality.
Beneath the shimmer, you’ll discover the type of sharp self-interrogation most pop tracks are far too well mannered to enterprise close to: “TV’s on virtually the entire time, you’re not likely watching it” and “have you ever forgotten about dialog; inform me about your day and the cash you’re making.” FREND has mapped the epidemic of isolation with a cartographer’s eye for element.
The manufacturing is unmistakably his personal, drawing on Tom Woods’ roots within the UK indie and alt-pop scenes and sculpted by years of collaboration and craft. With every syllable, FREND questions why we’re all so desperate to commerce away our lives for hole achievement, making it unattainable to sleepwalk by one other ambition-chasing day with out a twinge of doubt.
If you would like a launch that holds a mirror as much as the on a regular basis bleakness of disconnection and nonetheless wraps it up in a glittery package deal, Worth of Progress delivers. For followers of pop who crave a sting within the tail, this can be a playlist important.
Worth of Progress is now out there on all main streaming platforms, together with Spotify.
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Evaluation by Amelia Vandergast