By Nicola Roy (@circaslaves)
Following the news of a 33-date world tour (their first live shows in three years) and a number of snippets from songs off their new album Ti Amo, Phoenix have returned boasting a more polished electronic dance sound with their new track, J-Boy. The French indie-pop outfit have not released an album since their spring 2013 release of Bankrupt!, a heavily synth-driven album which was criticised to an extent for being too repetitive and exhausting, especially after the huge success of their previous album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix– impeccably crafted bursts of electro-pop.
J-Boy sees Phoenix fine-tuning their sound to something that at first appears to be chaotic but delves into a shimmering neon-lit journey of toe-tapping synths and a heavy, consistent beat. Elements of the previous album can be heard, but with a more mature and brilliant edge. Vocalist Thomas Mars is the driving force of this song, much more so than in most of the tracks on Bankrupt!, and a stylish selection of lyrics such as being ‘higher than a disco ball’ and ‘kamikazes in a hopeless world’, shows that their songwriting talents haven’t diminished despite their 4-year long hiatus.
The band themselves have described their upcoming album as ‘an album about simple pure emotions; love, desire, lust, and innocence’. They have also linked it to their European roots, branding it a ‘fantasised version of Italy’. This sleek lead single is merely a taste of what Phoenix will no doubt have to offer on Ti Amo. The album will be available on June 9th, and if this single is anything to go by, it will boast a radiant and new sound more than worth the wait.
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One response to “Track Review: J-Boy by Phoenix”
[…] Phoenix are releasing their new album Ti Amo next month, and have debuted its title track, alongside the previously released glitchy, upbeat J-Boy. The track gives fans a real eye-opener into the return of their renowned […]
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