There’s nothing shameful about wanting to make a ‘big’-sounding record, in any genre. Production value is more often than not quite a good thing, just so long as a band or artist doesn’t overdo it to the extent that their songs sound too clean. Teengirl Fantasy [Twitter/Facebook] have beefed up their sound considerably, but quite crucially have avoided doing so to the extent that they stop sounding like themselves. In Tracer, the duo have made an album that steers well clear of the disco/house revival that’s currently going on, refusing to be on trend, instead gleefully cavorting down its own path.
They’re in it for the long haul, and those who thought they were merely just a flash in the pan who got lucky with 7AM two years ago will be munching on humble pie this week. They stake their claim within seconds of the album’s beginning, as the soaring melody that sends the record into Orbit immediately reels in the listener, before the song kicks into gear around a minute in, and proves that the band who played their first show with a malfunctioning laptop have come a hell of a long way since. The instrumental compositions on this album have an atmosphere all of their own: the duelling rhythms that open Eternal are matched by a striking two-chord synth melody, not to mention a wonderful sense of dynamics that allows the song to move from woozy passages to an almost house-like piano break before everything comes crashing back in, in what is perhaps the most confident moment on the album.
That’s saying something, though, because all over Tracer is proof that the 2012 incarnation of Teengirl Fantasy have stepped up their game considerably. They’re still Nick Weiss and Logan Takahashi, but only in name – they’re getting away with things they wouldn’t have dared even to think about attempting on 7AM. For one thing, there’s a slightly greater emphasis on songs featuring vocals this time – 4/10 songs on the album feature them, and the quality of the guest stars is top-notch: Animal Collective’s Panda Bear guests on album highlight Pyjama, while Laurel Halo croons her way through Mists of Time and helps the track to hit impressive heights. Oh, and let’s not even get started about the fact that they managed to rope in Romanthony (one half of legendary French electro duo Daft Punk) to provide vocals for penultimate track Do It. It goes without saying, but he steals the show.
With such heavyweight guest stars, Teengirl Fantasy prove that they can both draw in that kind of firepower and get by without having to rely on it. There’s definitely something for everyone in the field of electronic music here; some songs are tilted slightly more toward the pop end of the genre, while the instrumentals range from bouncy to bracing, and in fact, closer Timeline treads a thin line between both. They’re well able to mix things up when the mood takes them – Tracer works on a number of levels: as a supremely enjoyable electro record, going all manner of places in less than 40 minutes; as a study of a band who have bright future ahead of them; and much more besides.
Tracer is out now via R&S Records.
