Review Summary: It never fails.
For me, when it comes to synthwave and darkwave, as long as the music isn’t reliant on vocals and largely focuses on instrumentals, it has a 99% success rate, no matter who the artist is. The reason for this is because it’s such a cathartic, instantly distinct brand of music that’s quite easy to replicate. I mean what’s not to like about this style of music? Those 4/4 beats, the trill undercurrent from the synths that have you sashaying in your mind like a madman, or the shimmering melodic leads. And that’s before we even get to the neo-80s aesthetic that accompanies these banging tunes. This kind of music is uplifting, and in an era where everything is dour and lacking in vibrance, it’s hard not to be drawn into the allure of synth and darkwave. However, while I adore this style of music and gush over Droid Bishop’s outrageously excellent debut album,
Beyond the Blue, I’ve never gotten round to checking much of their other stuff, outside of some singles. I heard from friends that James Bowen had fallen into the trap and was experimenting with vocals for some of his other albums, which didn’t gel with my mates, but for me jumping from
Beyond the Blue to this new album,
Frontier, Droid Bishop doesn’t miss a trick.
From the galloping epic “Astral Projections”, the sticky “Return of Gemini” with its blazing 80s action cop guitar tones, and the Daft Punk-esque “Starman” – these are just a few of the invigorating bangers
Frontier has to offer. The only time Droid Bishop drops a knacker is on the poignant reverie “Dreaming” where we get a short burst of vocals, but it does little damage to the overall quality here.
Frontier doesn’t break the mould, but that’s the beauty with this style of music: it doesn’t have to. This music, if you follow the tried and successful formula, comes across like a long-lost soundtrack to an 80's B-movie that never existed, and
Frontier certainly got the memo. Triplet grooves, cavorting synths, and nourishing guitar solos are the order of the day here; a recipe that maintains my perennial obsession for this type of music while I drive down dilapidated, pothole riddled roads and pretend I’m driving down Miami beach in my finest Acapulco shirt.
