Strip Music
s/t
Playground
Strip Music are a new Swedish synth pop band, who have risen out of the ashes of Yvonne. However, describing them as "pop" is a bit of a misnomer. Although Strip Music use the synth as a device to drop as many hooks as possible within each song, the overall sound of the band races along at a speed and urgency that is perhaps too epic to be merely described as pop music. Songs like album opener "2.75" have vocalist Henric delivering vocals with such intensity that they lay genuine claim to the Joy Division comparisons, creating a sound that is both melancholic and uplifting at the same time. Forming a new band with the synth as the core of your sound is a tricky and obvious thing to do in 2005, what with the recent successes of The Bravery and The Killers. However, somehow Strip Music have managed to carry this off successfully without sounding cheesy, whilst being able to retain a human element to their overall sound.
- Nick Levine