El Perro Del Mar
Love Is Not Pop
For anyone familiar with the ghostly doo-wop of Sarah Assbring’s near-flawless debut under the alter-ego of El Perro Del Mar, you understand one thing: How natural it’d seem to find her on-stage, bathed in the deep red light of some lost Lynchian netherworld, dripping with that signature blend of both romance and nightmare. Those tormented lovers of the sock-hop scene, swaying in slow-mo, smiles all around while something darker guides their movement. Turns out, with Love Is Not Pop, El Perro Del Mar has almost wholly abandoned that world – and instead has settled comfortably into the chrome-like cool and unabashed hedonism of a Balearic universe. Given that production credits are shared with Rasmus Haag, one half of the acclaimed Swedish electro duo, Studio, the results aren’t all that shocking. Luckily for us and just as importantly, for El Perro Del Mar, it’s a match made in 80’s nu-romantic heaven.
To describe Love Is Not Pop as lush would be to downplay. These seven songs begin as cavernous wells, gradually filling up with layer after glittering layer, Assbring’s voice swimming, submerging and calmly rising through Haag’s swanky chic. Lead single “Change of Heart” struts coolly along the kind of lowdown, sexed-up bass line only found sound-tracking your most tawdry thoughts. When married to machine-gun snare hits and Assbring’s declaration of ‘We will never stop,’ “Change of Heart” becomes not just a chilling slice of modern pop, but evidence of an artist renewed, forging confidently into a weirder, more gorgeous territory. Though the major moment hits later. At one point during “Heavenly Arms,” a song gliding comfortably along hushed vocals and perfectly charming piano phrasing, everything drops out but Assbring’s voice — left naked there until handclaps, dub reggae bass and phased-out jangly guitars bring back the warmth. It’s an understated, but nonetheless extraordinary moment in a record full of them. Love Is Not Pop is many things: a comeback of sorts, a refreshing hybrid of exquisite production and emotional intimacy — but most immediately, it stands as an essential mood piece for the crisp air days, light fading early into dark.
Loading ...
Leave A Comment!