there is a pretty fine line between cheese and nostalgia. and for me, that edge is usually dappled in synth-chords that fail to transport me beyond the chronic fear of accidentally dropping the track into a live set. the other side of the equation, however, is sheer bliss.
there aren’t many tracks that can do the trick, especially newer releases, but when one comes along, i feel like this whole music project is redeemed. because i am literally carried into this soft, warm, deeply nostalgic place. and i experience this sense of longing for a period of my life that is almost intangible. when i first discovered music as an expression of my identity and otherness. a time that i cannot inhabit through memory because i was not even in my own skin. and so it comes to this sort of time travel. this syrupy portal that carries me into the space of my adolescence so that i can reconstitute my self.
in this case, the track comes from Brooklyn synth-rockers Bear In Heaven. they are set to release their second album I Love You, It’s Cool in April and have let this early release go for the trainspotting elite. the video is basically an unwatchable art installation. but i find the song, despite its synthy foundation, to be somehow deeply authentic, sad, and self-integrating. if you’re on Spotify, definitely check out their highly rated inaugural 2010 album, Beast Rest Forth Mouth.
Bear In Heaven – The Reflection In You