Club 8 is a group that I’ve been keeping tabs on for almost 2 years now, with a few reviews already published here. Every time I check back in with them, they’ve dropped new music, and it sounds fresh while still staying true to their roots and unique sound. They’re professionals at creating a chic atmosphere, with hints of something that resembles indie shoegaze with a “beachy” undertone. It’s “beach-gaze” energy meets indie rock at its best. If that isn’t already a label, it is now.
Whenever I tap into Club 8’s music, I can’t help but feel the sun’s rays warming my skin. This Swedish powerhouse is a hell of a duo: Karolina Komstedt and Johan Angergård have dipped their toes into many different influences, including pop, electronic, African, indie, and dance, as well as many mixes of those genres. The ability and aptitude they have to take so many influences and make it feel like their own is astounding, and it’s why I enjoy them and respect them as artists as much as I do. They regularly churn out music to the point where I’m shocked that they can make everything sound incredibly fresh and “never done before”.
Their latest project – their 13th album – is titled Weeks of Golden Beats, and was just released at the end of September. It succeeded at scratching all of my brain’s itches in just ten tracks.
“Travel Back in Time” opens with a lo-fi, radio-esque speaking bit that fades into a thumping and groovy bassline. A tropical melody takes over, and Club 8’s classic silky and mellow vocals lead you into lyrics that paint a picture of reminiscing and wishing things could’ve been different. At just about two minutes long, the track is an easy one to leave on repeat, and with many Club 8 songs, that’s exactly my strategy. I love digging in layer after layer as I get more acquainted with the song over time.
The second track, “Echoes of Our Time”, may be one of my favorites. I love a synth-pop track more than I love breathing oxygen, so if you’re like me, this will probably be a goldmine for you. The melodic bass line is like pure dopamine to my bloodstream, and I listened to this one for almost a full four hours on repeat if I’m being honest. The chord progressions are so wonderful, and mentions of a Swedish winter make me so excited for the upcoming season. I took this song as one that touches on reminiscing quite a bit as well, and perfectly encapsulates the title. I loved these lyrics the most, this entire section of the song, really:
“Then I spent the day in bed
Trying to get out of my head
Through the glass, watched the snow fall down
The Swedish wintertime”
All of the lyrics in this song are super relatable for anyone that has gone through a breakup, lost someone they cared about, or had a friendship end. Loss is a big theme so far in this album, and the reckoning of the emotions that come with it are explored quite a bit, whether that means you isolate in bed and can’t get yourself to cry for days, or you cry for two days straight.
The next track, “The Sweetness of Honey”, feels classic and almost jazzy in nature, and it features a noticeable snare that drives it forward into layered vocals. The bass in this album has been *chef’s kiss* and I picture them having a hell of a time recording this album; how fun it must have been. A trumpet makes an appearance, and as a trumpet player myself I may be biased, but it’s magical and fits the song like a glove.
If you prefer indie rock to synth action, “Another Faux Pas in the Cathedral of Hate” is right up your alley. String instruments are present throughout, the tambourine has its time to shine, the snare is hard-hitting, and it’s a short and sweet little bite. The melodies in this album are all unique, exciting, and catchy as hell. Sometimes when I hear the melodies, I’m reminded of Weezer and their ability to pump out riffs that stand the test of time.
There’s lots of little fun spoonfuls in this album, and I love a short little song that packs a massive punch instrumentally and emotionally. “Honestly” and “Daydreams” fit this description to a tee, both standing out in their own ways. “Honestly” features these crazy good vocal melody lines and changes that remind me of early 2000s pop, a good reminder of how much of an instrument the voice can be all on its own. “Daydreams” has a bit of an island feel, as if a ukulele or similar instrument was used, which sounds so cool alongside a fast tambourine.
Track 6, “There is a Light That Seems to Go Out”, is one of the slower ones on the album. The bass makes it moody and the more intimate-sounding vocals add to the “personal” vibes of the track. Heartbreak and the like are touched on quite a bit, with expectations and promises shattered.
“Is it time for goodbye
Or is it a reset
A final sunrise
Under our grey skies”
The electric guitar pulls at your heart strings along with the all-too-relatable lyrics. It’s a somber song, but it’s a reflective one that represents coming to terms with disappointment and deciding where to go from there.
Back to a brighter tone, “Don’t Cry Baby, It’s Only a Film” is another song that mentions “time”. Time and loss are the two biggest talking points in this album in my opinion, and again we have vocals acting as their own melody in more than one sense. Karolina’s vocals are so magical, and she’s able to position her voice in just the right tones and spaces to make a huge impression on the listener. When I think of Club 8, the first thing that comes to mind is her vocal tone, the eclectic and often synthy instrumentation, and their ability to explore so much musically in so little time.
“Birthday” and “End” close out the album, and both feel very 80’s, yet reimagined in a modern way. “Birthday” is a twisted take on “one step closer to the grave”, and it made me laugh when I first heard the lyrics. Tongue-in-cheek is something Club 8 does masterfully, if you’re keen enough to catch it. “End” is exactly what it sounds like, marking a finishing of a journey, leaving enough interpretation to throw your own narrative into the song and become a part of its world. The album ends on a hopeful note, a bittersweet “finishing” if you will.
If you like exploring different sounds, sunshine, synths, or indie music at all, you’ll fall in love with at least a handful of tracks on this album. I’m sure Club 8 would love it if you showed them some love on social media, streamed their latest project, and maybe even preordered the vinyl if you’re a physical media fiend. You can find their physical copies through Darla.com, and as a huge Club 8 fan, I’m pumped they make physicals available in this era of streaming and ambiguity.
Weeks of Golden Beats is out now on Bandcamp, Apple Music, Spotify, and more! Take a listen to it below.
Written by Newt Fangs
