Kristine nurtures a very particular style of sound that exudes confidence, dedication and sophistication. Being one of the few, if not the only female synthwave artist/producers on the scene right now, makes this whole release a special one.
You don’t want to discourage more women taking the helm in front of their synths and mixing panels.
The fact that she plays so many roles – from vocals to playing instruments to producing – gives even more cause for celebration of her presence on the scene.
Lyrically, Kristine is preoccupied with summer love, lovers lost and burning desire. It mixes nicely with the musical arrangements.
Musical arrangements are actually more sparsely decorated with synth riffs than you would expect with a lot of guitar present.
My favorite Kristine tracks are her remixes. Especially that remix of The Deepest Blue by the master himself, Miami Nights 1984 – definitely worth a listen if you already haven’t.
Nonetheless, the album is really finely produced and in that respect, it’s immaculate.
Best enjoyed on your summer holiday where the aural landscape can blend into the palms, sea and sun rays you see around you.
Standout tracks: Rhythm of Love, The Deepest Blue
Track by track breakdown
1. MODERN LOVE
Already released as EP in 2012, this is Kristine’s manifesto in terms of sound and lyrical focus. It’s pure longing mixed with tight production and that epic retro sound.
2. DANGER
The follow-up “Danger” keeps the BPM in dance territory. Fierce blend of Kristine’s vocals that pack a punch, guitars and synths.
3. SUMMER LONG GONE
Summer Long Gone. Thank God, not yet. It’s just @kristineoffcial feeling the pain of leaving the summer tryst behind in the 3rd track of the album. One of the few tracks with a more pure synth sound.
4. RHYTHM OF LOVE
This track has that Latino, Gloria estefan vibe, summery dance number. The really bouncy and rubbery bass really makes the track standout.
5. RADIO
A whispery retro ballad, Radio is Kristine reminiscing of good times with her beau once again. Guitar-laden, it’s an ultimate Bangles hit that never happened (oh come on you saw that comparison coming ;)).
6. WILD HEART
Wild Heart is Kristine retreading similar territory, with first listen its hard to tell songs apart, probably get better with each listen. But it’s true, the song is same tempo and key as previous one which could’ve been handled differently.
7. EVERYBODY
Everybody is the culmination of the stadium rock thread in Kristine’s sound. It’s a perfect encore closing number where the whole arena has the hands clapping and feels the collective climax. Personally, this is not my favorite sound, but stylistically, Kristine shows she’s done her homework.
8. BURNING FEVER
Great vocals! But I got slightly bored at this point. It is quite similar to couple of songs before. I probably should listen more to lyrics. I can definitely see someone enjoying this more than I did though.
9. HEROES
Heroes brings a much needed different feel. Singing in lower register, Kristine sings an ode to everyday heroes in her life (correct me if I’m wrong). The main synth riff is full of longing and pride and really works well.
10. THE DEEPEST BLUE
The Deepest Blue is the track previously released and really helped put @kristineoffcial on the map. It’s a perfect uptempo summer dance ballad with some nice lyrics that evoke images of palms, sunsets, hand holding and passionate kisses.
11. SLEEPLESS NIGHTS
This track has more of that romantic feel and Kristine fiercely delivers this torch song with a lot of sensuality. Her vocals shine again in this one.
12. THE CITY
This tracks is one of the weaker on the album. Piano and sax make an appearance but the overall feel is not as polished as with other tracks.
13. LAST LEFT STANDING
Kristine rock credo shows again with a long guitar solo. This track can be seen as the end credits of the album where you look back on the trip Kristine took you with a smile on your face. I’d definitely love to see where the next trip takes us.
Overall
3.5/5
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