If I had come across Blank Cinema earlier, they likely would have made our list of modern bands that are unabashedly retro. Composed of Jake Fox, Pat Lok (who has worked closely with Bear Mountain), Naomi Horii, Justin James, and Matthew F. Perry, Blank Cinema is self-described as “David Byrne and New Order in a blender”, and there are definitely hints of both in their music, including Byrne’s iconic band The Talking Heads. “High Pressure Days” on their most recent EP, 2013’s Eras, best exemplifies the combination of buzzing synth and quirky pop.
Another band that comes to mind when hearing Blank Cinema is VHS or Beta, who for 17 years have been known for their rousing, dance-oriented, synth-pop. “Destroy Together” and the title track “Eras” are songs that could have been written by the Louisville quartet. The former is a blazing whirlwind of synths and guitars. The latter has a rousing chorus overtop the pulsating electronic bass. Meanwhile, “What You Have”, which might be the best track on the EP and the re-mix, too, is fantastic, starts off with a feel of ’90s Depeche Mode but finishes with a The Killers-like outro.
Their first LP, Covers, maintains the ’80s and ’90s synth-pop feel, although it leans more towards the quirkiness of The Talking Heads.
Not surprising then is that Blank Cinema‘s music is made for those moments where you just want to have some fun or something that will perk you up when you listen to it. Hike up your pants a little bit, put on the strobe light (or just dim the lights), and have a good time.
You can purchase Blank Cinema’s music on their Bandcamp site, iTunes, and eMusic. You can take a preview of Eras below as well.
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/blankcinema
Twitter – @BlankCinema
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