Skip to content

Duett - Leisure

Duett channels the sounds of the 1980's on their pastel-infused album Leisure.

Robert Rackley
Robert Rackley
1 min read
Duett - Leisure

Duett has been around for a while, but just came to my attention via Bandcamp's Instagram account last week. I was drawn in by the stylized artwork and colorful pastels on the album cover of their newest offering, Leisure. The contents of the album sound exactly like you would expect from looking at the cover. Over-the-top synths bathe the listener in the color palette of the 1980's. The aesthetic is so completely intact, that the opening track, "Gallery," sounds like it was pulled from an 80's film about Wall Street.

At times, the synthisizer parts sound a bit like a softer, more radio friendly, Com Truise or a band on Jim Smith from Teeel's Synth Recordings label. While the synths dominate, though, there are other instruments that also cling tightly to the sounds of the Regan era. Ostentatious guitar solos pop up in places like the track "Lifetime" and remind you of the chase scenes that were a staple of blockbusters and b-movies alike back then.

Most of the album is instrumental. It's a surprise when, the vocals appear four songs into the affair, in "About You." With vocals in the mix, the band reminds me of Sophie and Peter Johnston, albeit with less range and variation.

You won't find a shortage of bands showing their allegiance to the sonic staples of the 80's. I'm not tired of it yet, though. I need that nostalgia to get me through this decade. I'll happily daydream of John Hughes movies and DeLoreans while listening to Duett.

Noise

Robert Rackley

Christian, aspiring minimalist, inveterate notetaker, paper airplane mechanic.

π

Related Posts

Post Dreams

Not too long ago, I posted about a shoegaze cover of a music charts staple from decades ago and, well, I was sorely tempted to do it again.  I came across a YouTube channel for a service called Musora which bills itself as “the ultimate music lessons experience.” Musora offers

Post Dreams

Non-standard Sunflower

The election is, whether mercifully or unmercifully, in the rearview mirror. Like some others, I want to turn my attention away from the day’s news, so closely coupled as it is with political events. Before I read about Kid Rock being appointed ambassador to the U.N., I mean

On Dark Horses

A conversation with a colleague led me to a surprising musical discovery.

On Dark Horses