Tuesday 28 June 2011

I Am In Love - 'I Want You' Review

I Am In Love
I Want You
Robot Needs Home



I Am In Love are a shiny brand new band from Leicestershire who only formed about 6 months ago and this is their debut single. According to the press release it has ‘imminent Daytime Radio 1 Airplay’ – how have they managed that so quick?! Though, to be fair, RB is a little behind schedule with its reviews, maybe it is all over daytime Radio 1 right now, I’d never know.

Initial impressions are that they heard Darwin Deez when he broke last year and thought ‘we’ll have a piece of that’. It opens with a sweet, slightly retro programmed beat and some delicate electric strums. The vocal is slightly dreamy too, but doesn’t have that NYC slacker drawl. It makes up for it in POWER. By the chorus we are joined by some vaguely Ladytron-esque synth noises followed by some Errors-like guitar stabs. As the song progresses the band’s admitted Bloc Party influence comes through. The song builds with the constant threat of bursting into a full on 4/4 stomper. Instead, they keep it interesting, creating layers of melody with a hint of melancholy holding it together, as per the best BP songs.

The Radio 1 mention initially made me very suspicious of some manufactured project but I’ve got to say I like this enough to keep an eye on the bands developments. The saddest thing is that both B-Sides are remixes, so I’m left with no further clues as to what the band are all about. That said, the 2nd remix (The Rise and Demise of John Remix) is very sweet, a mix of Blade Runner synth and 80’s piano balladering.

So, there is a chance that I Am In Love are in fact a massive prospect for the future. Their touring schedule has had them round Europe for the last few weeks. I’m hoping I might get to catch them at a festival over the summer to find out whether the rest of their output leans towards wet sentimentality or smart, melodic and rich sound textures hinted at here.

Dean Freeman








No comments:

Post a Comment