If you say "synth pop" what comes to mind is either a lot of the recent '80s-loving indie acts or actual '80s synth pop groups (like Pet Shop Boys or Erasure). So it's nice to hear from a group that charts a new course in electronic pop.
Hurts' debut, Happiness, excels at delivery dreamy, moody pop with richly layered melodies of strings, drums, percussion, and of course, synthesizers. The Mancunian duo, Adam Anderson and Theo Hutchcraft, were placed fourth in the BBC Sounds of 2010 list, but they might just be the most interesting act to get a boost from that poll this year.
"Silver Lining" opens the album with a punch, underscored with dramatic bass drums and even a vaguely Italian sound at the end. The duo's music has been described as having "Italian disco" influence. I'm not quite sure what that is, although, at times, I am reminded of the slower stuff from Robert Miles, the Italian purveyor of dreamy dance pop in the mid '90s. "Wonderful Life," their current single, is similar, with a downbeat melody that contrasts with the upbeat lyrics.
"Blood, Tears and Gold" is slower, taking pauses at times between gentle string and piano melodies. Things pick up again with "Sunday," a bracing dance pop tune with a particularly fiery chorus. Future single maybe? The blustery lovelorn ballad "Stay" has already been chosen as the next single. "Illuminated" is even more fraught with aural longing. Clearly they've studied Coldplay a bit.
"Evelyn" is a highlight of the later tracks. It opens with a sparse arrangement and synth bass lines that really pulse in its crystal-clean production. Of course its song grows with leaps and bounds as the song progresses to its epic climax. Up-tempo "Better than Love" bristles with rapid-fire synth lines. Although most of their music isn't particularly '80s-sounding, this one does recall old-school Depeche Mode or Erasure.
Australian pop goddess Kylie Minogue shows up as a guest on "Devotion," but frankly doesn't add much. By this point in the album, it's becoming a bit same-y sounding. They've got a great sound, but they could use a little more variety. Same goes for "Happiness," which climbs the same sonic mountains of the songs that have come before. "The Water" ends the album on a little more genteel, piano-based note with an assist from some quite lovely strings.
For rock fans, this album will be D.O.A., but for fans of synth pop, it's nice to hear something new that's delivered without all the ironic grandstanding or an overwhelming desire to re-hash 1983-1985.
Best: Sunday, Wonderful Life, Stay, Evelyn, Silver Lining, Better than Love
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