What sounds like a UFO hovering above our doomed planet – beaming up info – opens Waterfall; arpeggiated synth dancing like dust particles illuminated by sun rays.
Then once the beat drops, Lovers Dance Academy’s opener morphs into a trippy banger.
“I’m kissin’ on all your freckles/ Your ears, your thighs and your nipples…” – way to make us blush, Jace XL! This Hiatus Kaiyote backing vocalist’s soulful crooning during Constant Love encapsulates lustful infatuation: “I can’t get no sleep wit you/ Constantly I dream of you-ou.”
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Sprinklings of sonic fairy dust abound throughout this record, with hip-hijacking bass offset by uplifting melodies. It’s easy to imagine this Naarm/Melbourne-based producer duo bopping away behind their instruments/consoles while constructing these funky belters, which serve sci-fi elements with a human touch.
Dusk’s hook – dat glockenspiel? – sounds like a woodland nymph skipping across soft moss. Feeling Takes Over Me (feat. Lyric Jones) – Lovers Dance Academy’s clap-happy, eight-plus-minute focus track – epitomises the Close Counters ethos: “Leave all the hurting at home/ Just let me dance all night/ I’m over here in my zone…”
The piano-enhanced penultimate track Freedom We’re Needing (feat. Shiv) – with its broken, syncopated beats and infectious “La-la-la-la-laaaaaaa” BVs – elevates us to a higher state of consciousness. Then closer I’ll Be There For You lands like a warm hug: “I don’t know anyone who shines the way you do/ My love…” – it’s giving Brand New Heavies house remix.
In need of some soul-enriching dance medicine? Join Lovers Dance Academy. Once you’ve pressed play, all attempts to remain motionless will prove futile.
LABEL: HOLY SOUND
RELEASE: OUT NOW
