One of three EPs to be released this year, PlasticGroove’s Feel EP is so far removed from previous PlasticGroove efforts, which in my previous experience have been colourful adventures into a post-futurist 80’s synth-rock soundscape.
This is a different set of textures entirely. Esoteric Experimental Electronica, all beaty and pianoish. More stretched out than hard hitting. More explorative than expressive. Less Pet Shop Boys, more David Lynch. More Radio Active/George FM, less The Sound/Magic FM.
The stand out track for many listeners I can see being Feel the Fever, which is the more upbeat and accessible track for the average listener, and Huia’s voice suiting the sampled break beat style.
However, the track that I personally enjoyed the most was Like A Dog, which apart from the orchestral intro is perhaps the least accessible track, with the most relatable lyrics.
The Feel EP may not be the definitive PlasticGroove release; it’s a mish-mosh of ideas, and an experiment into new sounds to test the waters perhaps, as EPs generally are.
Greatest hits or not, it’s a good set of ideas worth exploring. Like a selfie, it’s an image that captures this moment in time for PlasticGroove. I’m curious to see if this meandering develops into a new direction.
You can find PlasticGroove’s Feel EP on iTunes.
PlasticGroove are a retro futurist Kiwi band from Wellington, New Zealand. A multi instrumentalist attack combines 80's new wave and modern rock influences into a toe tapping, head banging, butt shaking frenzy.