Analogue coldness: Why this crisp sound triumphs over vocals
I'll say it straight: the crisp, almost industrial sound that Past Model delivers here is simply explosive. Anyone who loves Depeche Mode's 90s phase will immediately feel at home with ‘Memory’ from the EP ‘In Light’. The mix of synth pop and dark wave – which to me actually sounds much more like flawless cold wave – is absolutely spot on.
The decision to use the few guitar sounds rather discreetly was exactly the right one. The only drawback: the extreme vocal effect annoys me. In a mediocre song, I would generally reject something like this, but fortunately, the sound brings out a lot here and saves the overall picture. The analogue black-and-white music video also perfectly accompanies the track and ideally captures the subdued mood of the lyrics between ‘Hollow words’ and ‘Subdue the light’.
Listen to "Past Model – Memory" on Spotify
Listen to "Past Model – Memory" on Bandcamp
Lyrics of "Past Model – Memory"
Proceed and still
Lost to where I'm from
Turn to a fault
Symptomatic numb
Hollow words
Leave you in the dark
How
Realness comes from what's held
In the place
Just a featherweight aloft
Clear the air
Begin to understand
A little more
Into the sound
Distance lead to die
Subdue the light
To turn a blind eye
Choose to stay
Feel your revelation
Ray in the night
Keeping a memory lived on
Stay small
In the place
Just a featherweight aloft
Clear the air
Begin to understand
A little more
Define
In the place
Just a featherweight aloft
Clear the air
Begin to understand
A little more
