Precisely a decade after their first album, KONTRAJELLY revamped their launch with much more polyester, vitality, and glitter. The band shared that “Konsequence” — riffing off their first album named “Sequence” — could be “tescorock,” a mix of techno, disco, and rock. What which means is that they’re right here to host a celebration the place the costume code is neon nostalgia.
The album begins in a glow-in-the-dark rollerskating rink. In “Smultronstället,” the synths are blurry, the keyboard is rubbery, and the bass is busy. It’s a shimmery slush of a track to open the album and rapidly exhibits that KONTRAJELLY is prepared to get messy for the sheer delight of it.
The vocal melody is the most straightforward factor of the monitor, sounding virtually like a kids’s track. Although it’s not as evident within the album model of the track, it’s a bit higher highlighted in an acoustic setting the place the melody turns into extra haunting. That being mentioned, it nonetheless is a KONTRAJELLY track, which implies there’s a twist: a kazoo.
After taking a spin on the rink, the following pure step is to go to the arcade. In “Photosensibilité,” vocalist You-jung exhibits off her voice over a crunchy soundscape that features, I’m fairly certain, sound results from Galaga, the basic arcade sport.
Observe three is one among two instrumental tracks and kicks off with buzzing layered synths. The association is a chunky mixture of acoustic percussive sounds and gleefully digital ones. To greatest admire the track, make certain to catch how the sounds swing from proper to left. However make no mistake; although it options a number of ear sweet, it’s nonetheless a tightly woven track.
The following three tracks are vocally centered and for probably the most half operate as normal songs with a wholesome sprinkling of KONTRAJELLY taste. “Vagabundus” is a shiny, groovy track adopted by the chugging “Degauss.” The Korean title of “Degauss” is potato, which could be very totally different from a phrase regarding a course of about magnetic fields. However for the aspirational title, the track itself is extra tame. “Konsequence,” the namesake of the album, contains a practice and extra scorching synths.
Then the album launches into outer house with “Rollabeach.” KONTRAJELLY had been enjoying with the concept of an organization referred to as Rollabeach since 2021. Set in 2116, Rollabeach is an organization that tricked folks into making use of to their firm to discover house. The monitor options narration over a barely frenetic instrumental, and makes me want there was some animation set to completely notice the band’s concept. For now, although, they’ve a music video.
“The Spell” begins with a wriggling synth. It’s a bit unsettling after which will get complicated as You-jung hops into the fray calling out names like a kindergarten trainer. It looks like there’s a imaginative and prescient with the track, which is additional supported by the music video, however I discovered the monitor a bit too busy. Not like the sooner tracks, the synths felt distracting slightly than working with the opposite devices to create an total soundscape.
The album ends with a monitor that diverts from its predecessors. It begins quietly after which brings in a extra textured string sound. Not like the remainder of the album that felt like feelings at full quantity, “From the Deep” feels gently curious and virtually whimsical. Later, the monitor does flesh out to a fuller sound, however the selection of the plucked lead anchors the track in one thing that feels extra grounded in comparison with the remainder of the album’s whirling concoctions.
Curiously, the final monitor was one which was a remake from the primary album launched a decade in the past. Contemplating that it feels very totally different in comparison with the remainder of the album, I’m wondering if it’s simply as a nod to the unique album or if it’s a touch towards the path KONTRAJELLY needs to maneuver in the direction of.
Writing about KONTRAJELLY is such a delight as a result of the music itself feels prefer it was made with delight. I may verify that the band — made up of vocalist You-jung and instrumentalist Yeon-gu — is a number of enjoyable in individual as nicely; I noticed them carry out in a bar in Itaewon and so they didn’t miss a beat (although they’d a couple of drinks) and even had a dance break in “Photosensibilité.”
Kontrajelly’s music jogs my memory of visiting an arcade, the place the whole lot feels easy and enjoyable, however in actuality entails many shifting elements. The duo manages to make their music thick with out letting it get matted, and it looks like consuming espresso that by some means has 5 different flavors in it and chunks of sweet.
The band is wonky however owns it, persevering with to deepen their imaginative and prescient as seen on how they remade tracks 1, 2, 4, and 9 which initially have been in “Sequence.” I’ll undoubtedly be tuning in to see what they do subsequent, whether or not it’s including one other style to their sound or inviting us again to the rollerskating rink.
Instagram | YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube Music
Associated
