Underground Lovers’ first album in 14 years signals a herculean comeback by the band.
Weekend, which was influenced by Jean Luc Godard’s 1967 black comedy, Weekend, which is about a couple who both have secret lovers and both of whom plot the other’s murders, is in some ways surreal.
The record’s ten tracks almost make the perfect blend. The album begins with “Spaces”, which is an ethereal track that lacks punch.
It is almost off-putting simply because it reminds listeners of elevator music; played to calm the nerves caused by a stomach-churning ride. Fortunately, the album is soon redeemed by the second track, “Can For Now”.
This LP isn’t over produced and the balance between electronica and musicianship is right.
It’s easy to imagine the band playing live because the tracks are refreshingly straightforward and don’t contain effects and remixing that couldn’t be replicated onstage.
This is not to say the album is unsophisticated, and there is a definite Gary Numan-esque quality to it that still excites even after all this time.
Philipa Nihill and Vincent Garusso have lost nothing vocally over the years, and the way that the words and sounds effortlessly combine shows that all members of the ‘Undies’ understand the underpinning direction of the music.
Tracks like “The Lie That Sets You Free”, are most reflective of the band’s love of old school talent and there are enough retro beats for reminiscing, with liberal dashes of the new to propel Underground Lovers well into the future.
