Electric City Cowboys recently came to my attention following their stunning remix of the forthcoming Vogon Poetry single "Exposed Thoughts". They are from Sweden and their music is strongly infuenced by Yazoo, Erasure and Depeche Mode.
So when I received a promo of their album "Superstar" I was intrigued to listen to material that the band had produced themselves.
"Superstar" is the bands debut album and follows the release of 4 singles.
The album starts with a gorgeous instrumental called "The Introduction", which gives a clear direction of what the album is going to sound like, warm pads and gentle melody followed by a Jean Michel Jarre styled synth section.
"Calling Your Name" features Mia Moilanen on vocals (she also appears on 3 other tracks on the album) and is a soaring synthpop gem, a throbbing sequencer bass-line and hints of italo disco, the track has a massive Erasure influence on it and is undoubtably one of the albums highlights. This ticks all the right boxes for me, catchy, melodic and dancable, a definite single, which remixers will find a joy to work on, I can definitely see Daily Planet's Johan Baeckstrom weaving his magic on this track..
Next we have "Heaven", a fantastic pad/string intro which then develops into a synthpop/italdisco track, a strong vocal and some stunning synth work, especially the sequencer parts, which is something I really like in songs. The middle 8 section is especially good, very powerful. Another very strong song.
The title track follows and is very melodic and catchy, a true synthpop track, the synth backdrop to this track is amazing, strong bass-line and sequenced parts, more going on than you initially think. Again this has an italo disco influence.
"Tell Me" I knew was going to be stunning, as soon as it started, beautiful pads and sequenced melodies, the track has a very strong chorus, this track reminded me of the Vince Clarke era Depeche Mode, I love the way it builds up to the chorus and the synthwork is truly fantastic, excellent vocals that work perfectly against the music backdrop. So far my favourite track on the album, in a word awesome!
Following that we have "My Heart Is On Fire", another pop gem, I like the atmospheric pad sounds and the chorus is really a delight, this has a nod towards the sound of Yazoo, the band are very good at creating melodic hooks and sequencer parts and this song showcases that really well.
"In The Summertime" reminded me very much of another Swedish independent synthpop band, Eurotix, Vince Clarke styled Riffs on this song and again they have crafted some fantastic sequencer parts, as with all the album, excellent vocal delivery, it instantly grabs you and what a fantastic middle 8, these boys know how to construct a song, outstanding work.
The Yazoo influenced "Miss You" is stunning, a bit like "Only You", simply brilliant synth sequencer segments, it also builds like Yazoo's "Too Pieces", this is one of the best synthpop tracks I have heard in a long long time, without doubt Vince Clarke himself would be delighted to write a song like this, beyond brilliant!!!
A 2019 remix of the track "Dance Into The Night" is a full on electronic dance track, powerful synths and imposing synth stabs, a track that would go down really well live. A great chorus against a cacophony of synth work, a welcome addition to the album, love it!
The album closes with the track "Free (Beatbox Extended)", the original version was released as a single in 2017 and is an italo disco stomper, a fantastic track with a very strong vocal, brilliant.
How this band is unsigned I have no idea because this album is exceptional, superbly crafted songs and their musicianship is first class, strong vocally throughout too, a synthpop album that should, without a shadow of doubt, be in your collection.
The Swedish synthpop scene is quite remarkable at the moment, as well as Electric City Cowboys, we have Daily Planet, Machinista, Eurotix, Johan Baeckstrom, Vanguard, Uncreated, Vogon Poetry and others and this album by Electric City Cowboys is the perfect introduction to the band, you won't be disappointed.
10/10
The album is released on May 3rd on CD and as a digital download on Bandcamp here:
https://electriccitycowboys.bandcamp.com/album/superstar-2
Visit the bands Official Homepage here:
http://ecc-official.com/index.html
Vist the bands Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/electriccitycowboys/
