My favorite duo from Hamilton, Ontario is back with It's All True, their fourth studio album (excluding Body Language, which is their compilation of various dance songs).
For all the sonic shimmer, not much exposure is needed to realize that the album concerns an embittering relationship. A strong indication comes 40 seconds into the opening "Itchy Fingers," the point when Greenspan delivers "I'd rather crush you with a paper folded, just to see you die" with belligerent ebullience. As ever, the duo’s sound is remarkably amorphous, combining 1980s synth-pop with R&B touches, multiple basslines, and truncated rave riffs. Jeremy Greenspan's vocals are amongst my favorite on the genre, as his intonation at times is reminiscent of Cabaret Voltaire, to a hushed bedroom whisper, simultaneously vulnerable and affirmative.
It's All True sounds like the album the Junior Boys have been moving toward their whole career. It's got the same low-key mixtape-from-a-lover charm as Last Exit, but sacrifices none of the appealing slickness of their last few albums. They are hitting their stride, along with the large helpings of dancefloor joy, some of the album's most immediately arresting moments are its sparsest and most fragile. Take the second song, "Playtime", a slow number seemingly about love lost and hurt. The emotional resonance is not the pitying kind that comes across from some folk singers, rather, I feel staid, contemplative, and soothed by the synths. If you have been following their career, this album will not be of a great surprise, but you will see that they are a duo that has perfected their sound and hopefully will continue in this direction for a long time to come!
As usual, I present you one of the deep cuts, dear readers. Listen to "Kick the Can", a Kraut-rock inspired gem here.
Buy your copy of It's All True here.
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