Irresistible and so drenched in 80s nostalgia that I almost drowned in the ghost of hair gel past, Satellite is a joyous thing. It sounds like A Flock of Seagulls had a child with Starship and invited Miami Sound Machine along to the baptism, where Flashdance… What A Feeling was playing in the background.
It sounds so familiar I was concerned that it had accidentally ripped something off, but it seems to walk its own path. I found myself smiling with unadulterated pleasure as it gently wore my cynical edges away!
Sounding quite similar to Island Club (particularly in that the vocals are pretty high for a male singer), the squashy synths and drum machine samples are mixed sympathetically for a modern audience, cleverly using guitars, synths and vocals to uphold current expectations while nodding unashamedly towards arrangements from 30+ years ago.
The lyrics are on-point to deliver a healthy dose of nostalgia, too, with enough uses of ‘girl’ and ‘baby’ to bring it all flooding back.
The verses feature stop/start rhythm, satisfying drum fills and syncopated synth runs to keep the interest chopping along while we go widescreen for a gloriously indulgent guitar solo – and a breakdown section with hand claps drenched in reverb, and a ‘woah’ vocal section at the climax.
If I had a criticism of the song, it’s that it should probably be called Don’t Look Down, as that’s the refrain you’re left humming along with at the end. But it’s churlish to point that out when everything else is so lush and robust – and as comforting as a hot cup of cocoa on a trying winter night. Glorious!
Palm Lakes are Ian & Tim Hardwick. Find & follow them on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
