It’s been four years since French popsters Phoenix graced us with new material, and following on from 2009’s hugely successful Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, the outfit have certainly turned up the synth and electricity with their latest.
On Bankrupt! we’re instantly reminded how good Phoenix are at making great pop songs with the quartet’s consistently strong lyricism and punchy choruses.
Eaten up by millions worldwide, it’s a far stretch from their humble beginnings almost ten years ago and boy, have they grown.
Diving straight into synth-driven lead single ‘Entertainment’, we’re immediately transported into the hazy and electric world of Thomas Mars and co.
‘S.O.S. In Bel Air’ is set to be the next ‘Lisztomania’ or ‘1901’ with it’s catchy dance chorus that has vocalist Mars singing of loneliness and the harping sting of the line ‘put my name on your list S.O.S in Bel Air’.
‘Trying To Be Cool’ oozes dusty Californian vibes, with summery beats and attitude to burn. Long, drawn out synth lines litter each track but take a breather on album interlude and title track ‘Bankrupt!’ with an organ-like melody evolving into a sparkly low-fi ditty.
Back into action with a big f-you to cheap and everyman cologne ‘Drakkar Noir’, Mars sings of fantasy and sleaziness with his well hidden French drawl sneaking out subtly on this number.
Love Classic Rock?
Get the latest Classic Rock news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
Leading well into gloomy number ‘Chloroform’, a very RnB beat sits alongside synth stings and drowsy lyrics that would sit nicely in the wee hours of a dark and dirty French nightclub.
There are strong pop songs littered throughout Bankrupt! though most follow the same distinct formula found on previous release Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. The synth is ever-present and does tire by final track ‘Oblique City’, and coincidently singles are stronger when taken out of the electric and hazy bubble that is the Bankrupt! longplayer.
Lyrics also echo a bigger, busier and somewhat intense new lifestyle for the well-recognised and Coachella-headlining quartet, but the outfit still straddle a comfortable spot between pop and dance numbers and quiet introspective lyricism. Embrace the pop and get ready for a brain-melting amount of synth, because Bankrupt! is French fun at its finest.
