Under the monicker Big Black Delta, Mellowdrone frontman Jonathan Bates creates pulsating waves of galactic-sounding electronica that has become even more other-worldly in his sophomore self-titled album.
The Venezuelan native has previously worked alongside M83 as part of their touring band and has possibly taken some cues from the French duo. It’s that same brand of booming, cinematic-sized electronic pop – it would be easy to mistake ‘Side Of The Road’ for an M83 creation.
The album doesn’t waste any time getting into it, opening with the heavy droning bass line of ‘Put Your Gun On The Floor’. It sets up an electric atmosphere upheld through the album’s stellar first half.
‘Side Of The Road’ is the most polished and accessible slice of pop on the record. Its ear-worm melody and jerking synth line are complimented by a killer sing-along chorus led by Bates’ modified cyborg vocals. It’s a brilliant and memorable anthem; a kind of indirect answer to M83’s ‘Midnight City’.
‘Huggin & Kissin’ and ‘Capsize’ continue this infectious upbeat onslaught with drenches of 80s synth, crisp beats and mastered samples.
The loved-up anthem ‘IFUCKINGLOVEYOU’ is undeniably catchy and contains the best lyricism on the record: “Every lovely guest/Gets a glass of fine wine/So make some little babies… I fucking love you.”
It’s a pity these stand out moments fall flat when they’re put together as a packaged album. A distinct lack of cohesiveness derives from Bates rehashing eight songs from his debut, BBDLP1, with only slight modifications. There are only five new tracks this time around, and they might’ve served better in the form of a short EP.
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Overall, Jonathan Bates makes promising ground with his second entry into Big Black Delta’s electronic database. When he gets it right, he certainly gets it right.
