Here we are with another album review, mxn and womxn of the synth world. Siamese Youth released an album full of juxtaposed feelings, retro-futuristic funk, and delicious notes that send us back through the time warp, once again. It’s an honor to have been selected to review “Echoes of Tomorrow”, and I look forward to readers listening to the album themselves and coming up with their own opinions. That being said, let’s jump right in.
Off the bat, I admire Siamese Youth for their pop-rock essence as it’s infused with the electronic details that a synth provides. The vocals hit me like a truck right away! I ADORE how the melody interacts playfully with the lyrics. There’s passion in the percussion that amplifies the intensity of the chorus, and the scene is set like a cult classic movie ballad montage. “Hey Now” is the ultimate lovestruck getaway track to run away to, or win back the beau of your dreams.
The next track takes on a slower note, and while there are widely arranged chords to strike nostalgia, there’s a taste of modern retrowave here and there. The dazzling chimes in the wake of the progression make themselves known against the airy, breathy seduction of the vocals. These lyrics are wise and methodical, in the sense that there’s a conversation between either one and another, or with oneself. It reminds me of the challenges we face living life as a loner, resorting to escapism rather than facing our demons.
Ahh, Summer Lovin’ is upon us. “Young Nights” is the perfect vibe for infatuations, blind naivety, and true love. I love the stadium feel that each of these tracks provides so far from the echoes and reverb. Instantly I appreciate the sample at the start of the track, which is from the 1959 film “The House on Haunted Hill”. It’s a conversation between Vincent Price, as Fredrick Loren, and Annabelle (Carol Ohmart) regarding their surprise ghost party and their guests. Interesting choice for a track that is so uplifting and pop-centric. I would have sooner expected this to be used in a darksynth track!
Ooof, these funky beats are dangerous and I love it. A night at the disco is just what the Doctor ordered. I’m enveloped by the smooth twang of the keys, and it’s over for me, I’m locked in and ready for the dance floor. These references within the lyrics, such as “chemical romance” {in track one, “Hey Now”) and “call in the wild” makes me smirk each time I catch them. Getting high from the first bite makes me think of edibles, and how edible a person could be under the right circumstances, romantically speaking.
The track begins with stadium-like nuances. There’s an energetic fusion between the guitar and the echoes of the vocals. As the suspense begins to build, the electric chords of the synth radiate with the guitar. A brilliant arrangement from the kick-drum combined with the melody is elaborate and entrancing. I enjoy the way the lyrics passionately express a message we can all resonate with. In a world that praises people for being influential and fake, being yourself is and should be valued beyond all else.
It’s 80’s montage time again – and Siamese Youth doesn’t hold back from these epic vibes. The synth is “radical”, the drums are “bodacious”, and I feel myself slipping back in time. Visions of being a mall rat come swimming back, and there’s nothing holding me accountable for enjoying these highlights of youth. This song, I believe, is the ultimate testament to 2020, and how it discouraged our dreams, isolated us, and confused our foresight into the future. Even now, during an age of uncertainty, we’re reaching for the memories before covid. We took so much for granted, and I firmly believe that we’ll be ever more appreciative of the little things moving forward.
A neo-disco melody introduces us to this light-hearted track, and the inter-galactic rhythm takes us for a ride through a love story within the lyrics. Its powerful pop chord placements grip me to the core and provide a taste of what Siamese Youth is trying to portray with this song. If I follow the lyrics, it’s like the make-up from a breakup conversation. Internally, it’s adding further ambiance to the funk, and smoothly transitions from what we know and what we remember about our own love stories.
I enjoy the main chorus of this track and the claps really tie it together from the start. There are playful chimes and chip-tune-like elements throughout that making this a special testament to retro-classic dance beats. Lyrics like these bring out the most in me, in that I can apply them to any scenario, and maintain a groove. The interwovenness of love’s lost appeal and a confessional tale elevate the overall tone, and for that, I can appreciate it further.
The unification of differences has become the influx of the song’s message, and I’m here for it. I enjoy the way Siamese Youth uses chiptune generously throughout the track, and have applied some subtle similarities to EDM in between. I’m grateful for the vocals in how they shine a light on current issues with heavenly serenade. Encased in this electro-pop feel is the realization that coming together is the answer to our country’s problems if taken literally.
When summer is nearing the end, the question remains if the love found will continue on. Such a song as this fits the bill and answers the question is this eternal or a letdown. The lyrics speak to the parts of us that have had to let go and uproot our conviction to see a relationship through its trials and tribulations. The percussions play on our heartbeats and the colorful chords keep us lukewarm after a cold realization that the love we had wasn’t what we hoped it was.
I’d like to sign off with a note that I enjoyed the uniqueness of this album, and the way Siamese Youth bridge the gap between modern and retro-classic 80’s references. I look forward to what they have in store for the future and welcome them into the fold as artists that started with a cover of “All the Small Things” (totally worth the listen, by the way)
