Single Review: RAAVE TAPES - 'RAAVE TAPES'

Photo credit: Liv Jansons

RAAVE TAPES were a duo I came across by complete accident when looking for new songs for my YouTube series. The song in question I won’t spoil for now, but safe to say I really enjoyed it. They seemed to just be writing very enjoyable, catchy, retro-yet-futuristic pop that I found very compelling. So when I found out their debut, self-titled album was set for release on May 24th, of course I had to see what was in store.

I Just Wanna Be Alone

This track just gives me even more of what I already loved, and I couldn’t be happier for it. For starters, the beat on this is great. The warm, atmospheric synths glide effortlessly through the track, and when the metallic DnB beats enter in the chorus, the euphoria factor soars through the roof. The keys also take on a more dramatic effect with some almost organ-like textures. It’s deceptively simple, but great.

The vocals take this track to a whole new level. Certainly the lone wolf, singleton anthem in the lyrics is nothing to write home about, but Lindsey O’Connell’s performance is brilliant. Not only does she have some very graceful and passionate melodies in the verses, creating a super dreamy vibe, but the hook on this is killer. It’s got an anthemism about it that seems a strange rarity in pop today. It’s just pure, feelgood sunset vibes through and through, and I think we could all use that. Short, simple, effective.

k hi

I’ll be honest, they have lost me slightly with this one. In fact I’d actually say I find it pretty irritating for the most part. One thing the instrumental has in its corner is that the beats are decently punchy and energetic, but unfortunately that’s sort of where my praises start and end. I don’t think the oddly bubbling, screechy bass tone does it any favours, neither do the walls of what sound like distorted, white noise guitars blaring over the choruses. It just sounds like a car crash, the worst qualities of hyperpop on full display.

The problems only worsen with the vocals, and they worsen a lot. Again, the lyrics of an on again/off again relationship don’t interest me all that much, but I’ve got bigger fish to fry. Not only do I not find Jacob Eastley nearly as compelling as Lindsey melodically or tonally, but even in her case, the high-pitched autotune she uses on her voice just sounds quite grating.

If you think that’s bad, wait until you hear the chorus. Another characteristic of hyperpop seems to be the “abuse” of autotune. In that I mean rather than making something sound pleasant, some artists use it to create a deliberately garish, almost loudhailer-like effect. If you’re an experimental art band, that might be cool, but when you’re trying to write a catchy chorus, good lord, is it counter intuitive. It just makes my head hurt. Admittedly the lowkey bridge is a nice 20 seconds of respite, as the saying goes, if you put lipstick on a pig… This is a genuinely confusing drop in quality from the last track.

Goodbye

As much as I’ve railed against pointless 80s revivalism in recent years, maybe it’s bias coming into play, but I think they do a pretty good job. There’s a nice, peppy, danceable beat at the bass of the track, and some fairly subtle, slightly kooky keyboards too. The chorus actually manages to build on it rather nicely, layering on anthemic, stringlike synth textures, and placing a propulsive bassline underneath. Additionally, while completely unexpected, the use of guitars in the outro bolsters the track’s dramatic qualities a great deal. It definitely works to the credit of the “dance-pop power ballad” sound they seem to be reaching for. It’s very good indeed

For a third time in a row now, the lyrics offer very little of interest. Two people lamenting a breakup is nothing new after all, particularly when relayed in a fairly superficial way. The vocals however do warrant praise. Like with “…Alone”, Lindsey offers up more of those classically hummable, emotive melodies, and does so to great effect. This time around though, it was actually Jacob that impressed me.

Yes, I’m still not a fan of distorted autotune, but it’s used here in a way where, not only does the catchiness still translate, but moreover, actually adds an extra dimension to the clearly very heart wrenched delivery. What this song managed to do is actually quite impressive. It took two things I would normally dislike, those being 80s pastiche and hyperpop, and somehow managed to combine them to make a song I really enjoyed for the most part. That’s no mean feat, believe me.

So in terms of what these singles might mean in terms of the album as a whole, I’m not entirely sure. I can say that it at least seems like it’ll be a pretty creative and inventive pop record, and probably quite good on the whole too. I certainly hope so. On the other hand, given we’ve received both euphoric highs, as well as earache-inducing lows in the space of three tracks, who knows what else could be waiting for us? Let’s just hope it’s more of the former.

RAAVE TAPES’ debut album is self-released on May 24th. Pre-order it here.

See the artwork and track list for ‘RAAVE TAPES’ below

RAAVE TAPES album