Spectral keyboards and sweet vocals with a rolling, treated drum loop all feature heavily in this gorgeous slice of chillout pop.
The song starts out with what sounds like guitar harmonics being used to arpeggiate the chords. The rhythms and scansion of the vocals alternate between short and long phrases, with the backing track being given space to breathe. It’s a smart choice as the song opens up to the pre-chorus with its dreamy tremelo guitar and its more serpentine vocal phrasing.
Chord changes are satisfyingly unpredictable and yet still manage to feel instinctive and organic, though I imagine there was a fair bit of craftsmanship employed in their choosing.
The vocals (which reminded me of Dubstar, with a dash of Fleetwood Mac) are mixed loud, proud, front and centre, and this makes the listener focus on them and their lyrics: ‘The words you hold me to / I know I am accountable’. It creates an instant and very human connection with the piece.
The chorus opens the heart of the song up further still, with sugared backing voices lending caresses of support to the sweet lead line. All the while, high frequency synths scratch away at the edges of the sound, dusting the whole confection with an icy texture. The production choices deliver lovely dynamic shifts between verse and chorus – creating focus and attention to groove on the former, and exultation as a listener in the latter.
As it turns out, the Belle Sounds are aptly named, and I Lose Myself manages to sound both nostalgic and forward-looking – whilst remaining very much its own entity. I certainly lost myself, and willingly, while reviewing this.
Single out February 14th. Download via Bandcamp.
