London's TEMPOSHARK are an odd buncha retro-popsters lurking in the depths.
Comprising expressive vocalist Rob Diament, synthmeister Luke Busby and bassist/ all-round foxy chick Jasmin O'Meara, their provocative nu-electro sounds have quietly conrtibuted to the ripples of their fame spreading, leading to their appearances at the influential We Love...Homelands Festival and a Pete Doherty-helmed Reading aftershow party prior to this debut single being released.
And now "Neon?" is finally in our midst, you soon understand just how infectious they can be. It's a tasty slice of playful, splatchy synth-pop, roughly equal parts New Order, Pet Shop Boys and Blancmange (remember them?), with Diament's bug-eyed, slightly camp delivery starring in a clandestine tale of betrayal, deviance and revenge. "I can't pretend I didn't know of all your lush weekenders" reveals Rob with some relish at one stage, while Jasmin's rubbery-thumbed basslines add a tinge of Tom Vek's oddball funk to the mix.
Second tune "Crime" is equally sassy. The intro line "I want real gold in my hair" gives way to another tale of lust, greed and avarice, but it's allied to a tune that's fun and frolics all the way. Again, it's very early '80s in execution, but its' bloopy minimalism gets under your skin and ultimately it's catchier than a bouquet of barbed wire.
|
Third tune "Lemonade" begins promisingly with a widdly, glitchy percussive premise and intrigue writ large in the descriptive synths. Then it suddenly peters out as it's getting interesting. Oh. Fortunately, the closing 'Noblesse Oblige' mix of "Crime" then kicks in and its' dark, clubbier discipline possibly steals the show altogether.
Temposhark, then, are certainly a very different type of club-friendly predator circling a capital scene currently obsessed with the guitar-slinging London's Burning mob. They are both a throwback and also very NOW and if they have more catchy morsels like this in reserve, they may yet spark a feeding frenzy. Stranger things have happened.
|
