Some five years ago, relatively unknown Sydney outfit The Presets – comprised of Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes – were exactly that: relatively unknown. No mocking anybody’s ego there. That being said, theirs was a star that was definitely rising. Signed to Australia’s Modular Recordings, and it would only be a matter of time before tunes like Down Down Down, Are You The One? and the beautiful Girl And The Sea became regulars at festivals, here and abroad. The Presets had arrived, and as they belted out monster tune after another at those festivals, they listened. They noted. And they began writing an album. Apocalypso is what they came up with. Much like the last few years have been quite a journey for the lads, so is this also; and it’s one hell of a ride indeed.
Kicking things off with what sounded to me like – wait for it – The Killers meets Justice , Kicking and Screaming has you heading straight for the dancefloor. With just a bit of cheekiness to it, you can’t help but want to move to it: hell, I can barely keep still as I write this. That said, nothing goes for the dancefloor jugular more than the first single from the album My People, and it’s one that’s sure to be a big festival hit in the European Summer, especially if the response at the recent V Festival is anything to go by. Chunky, hard, solid beats, with plenty of throw your hands up in the air and ‘scream your ass off’ kind of vocals. Awesome.
A New Sky takes it back a notch, but lifts you at the same time, with a bit of an 80s feel to it that appears from time to time, and later reappears with Yippyo-ay but is always welcomed. Enter This Boy’s In Love, for me, the absolute belter of the album. And on an album with some solid tunes, that’s saying something. Ridiculously and almost stupidly catchy, you just want to scream. The melody, the vocals, the crystal clear emotive techno; it all comes together in a seemingly perfect synergy to produce a damn fine tune, with an equally impressive video clip too.
Talk Like That and Eucalytpus throw up some cranking, almost dirty beats, with a relentless fast paced feel, but with vocals that manage to build undeniably razor-sharp pop tune. Imagine yourself in a car – and things are going at breakneck speed. Then, suddenly, you brake hard, and you come bumper-to-bumper with If I Know You: if there’s a Girl and the Sea on this offering then it’s this, with vocals that come from the heart, and if this were heard at a festival, then you’d just want to grab a loved one and nearly squeeze them to death. Aeons then throws the vocals out the window, and lets you sit back and just appreciate what these guys are pretty damn good at – sounds – and there’s an array of them here. Impressive to say the least.
All up, this album is distinctly ‘Presets’ in its taste. It’s one that thousands of people have devoured across the world, and what we’ve grown accustomed to, and while there may be a hint of a different edge, it never strays too far from what has proven to be a popular recipe. The beats stay chirpy, funky, but the electro pop is never far away. If there’s a criticism, and a mild one, it is that some of the lyrics can tend to have a similar feel to each other. Easy to overlook, and for fans of the lads, this will be music to their ears. Pardon the pun. Go get it.
Apocalypso is in stores this Saturday April 12th. Check out the tracklisting below…
01. Kicking and Screaming
02. My People
03. A New Sky
04. This Boy’s in Love
05. Yippiyo-ay
06. Talk Like That
07. Eucalyptus
08. If I Know You
09. Together
10. Aeons
11. Anywhere
And have a look at the clip for The Preset’s massive new single This Boy’s In Love...
