Robbing Millions
It’s Thursday and that means one thing, Getintothis’ Mike Stanton’s Unknown Pleasures is released into the wild once more.
Eclectic is the name of the game this week with three cracking choices each taking you on a distinctive and unique trip. The inevitable synth-heavy choice is represented by BVSMV but this is tempered with some psych-rock from Robbing Millions and wrapped up with art-pop and post-rock posturing courtesy of Lovelace.
BVSMV is a Milwaukee-based electronica artist who dabbles in retrowave, ambient and dreamwave.
There’s so much to love about Preparation from the warm sweeping bass to the spine-tingling synth lead. There’s a strong retro feel about this tune. The lurking-in-the-background cosmic synth is akin to being bathed in static and the distinctive sound often featured in 80’s new wave pop standards such as Nick Rhodes’ Jupiter 8 on Duran Duran’s Planet Earth or Reload’s two opuses Ahn and Ehn in the 90’s (seriously if you haven’t heard those then go and check ’em out). The programming on Preparation is so intricate; delightful ping-ponging arpeggios herald the arrival of the track and it slides along for 2 very short but dreamy minutes.
BVSMV seem to have captured the essence of the re-emerged new wave and synthwave scenes so perfectly without collapsing into cliché, quite an achievement in this over-saturated genre.
Short but instantly catchy. Love it.
For hundreds more undiscovered delights, be sure to delve into the Unknown Pleasures archive here
Dreams Like Photographs is the new single to be taken from Robbing Millions self-titled debut album, which will be released later this year. Similar to the likes of POND, Tame Impala or MGMT it’s an eminently danceable psych-pop track full of weird and winding twists and turns.
Brussels duo Lucian Fraipont and Gaspard Ryelandt drive the band and recorded their album during a 2-week stint in New York back in 2015. Taking inspiration from pop, rock, jazz and traditional Congolese music, this spread of influences coupled with Fraipont and Ryelandts unique vocal harmonies gives Robbing Millions a sound of their own.
Lovelace is Rebecca Whitbread. She is an artist with an ear for differing patterns and shifting textures and her debut album Lands certainly showcases this.
Moving Train is a standout track with its low-slung vibe and noir-ish feel. Whitbread’s voice is in perfect sync with the backing vocals and nuanced production. Her instinctive feel for a sweet melody and hypnotic hook drives the song through shifting constructs and moody tempos.
Lovelace displays the poise and swagger of PJ Harvey, an assuredness and confidence through knowledge that the material is strong. At times her delivery has the icy cool kick of LoneLady as her raw emotional energy is conveyed without histrionics or flashiness.
Lands is out now.
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