Local trio Pollyn make electronic pop look easy. Adam Jay Weissman provides the groundwork, with layers of icy synths and retro drum machine rhythms, while Anthony Cava adds guitar and other accents throughout, and singer and keyboardist Genevieve Artadi tops it all off with some sweet, ethereal vocals. Simple, huh! Well, it ain't so simple! Over the course of two decades of music-making, Pollyn have mastered their art with seemingly effortless ability. But there's some true magic in what they do, as exemplified in their new release, Distress Signals.
On songs like "Too Late to Change the Past" Pollyn take a sample from cult-favorite folkie Linda Perhacs' gentle psychedelia and use it to create a lighter-than-air electronic ballad that can't be brought to earth despite being chockfull of melodies. "Don't You Want My Love" bounces along like the best of any 90s-era pop diva, while remaining absolutely contemporary (if not outright futuristic) in its sonic fingerprints. Like fellow Angelino band the Bird and the Bee, Pollyn use the tools, both in terms of instruments and song structures, of yesteryear and with them mold their songs into new shapes perfect for today's adventurous music fans.
-Eric J. Lawrence
Tracklist:
- Don't You Want My Love
- Too Late To Change The Past
- Dark Tokyo
- Distress Signals
- Liars Cheaters
- Slurp
- Automatic Response
- Broken Record
- More Wanting
- Start The Fire