Imagine speeding down a road in some tropical paradise, with warm ocean breezes and the smell of salt lingering in the air. Now imagine the music accompanying the drive. It should be something upbeat, emotional and novel. Look no further than Empire of the Sun’s new album “Two Vines.”
The Australian electronic duo’s third album explores a messy, vivacious fantasy realm complete with pulsing dance beats covered by loose, flowing synths and swirling electric guitar. Recorded mostly in Hawaii, the album’s sound is caught between a casual beach dance party and a tantalizing European nightclub. It invites listeners to participate in something beyond their reach.
Each song on this album is beautiful. They all begin with pleasing melodies and chord progressions, always positive and full of energy. The instruments on the record are clean and sharp but also chaotic, swirling in and out of the listener’s ears. This album takes the sublime, pure, positive parts of life and compresses them all into a single work of beaming light and power. In an interview with NME, the duo says the album will give fans, “A kind of mindfulness. A kind of natural medicine.” It takes the highs people experience and morphs them into electronic, colorful music.
The album is psychedelic, especially in title track “Two Vines.” The song starts with electric guitar, loosely strummed and without a real pattern. Lead singer Luke Steele sings, his voice lazy and unhurried. He says, “We got the best years ahead, we know we do” with a mixture of highest hope and lowest lethargy.
The album also gives listeners some dance hits with songs like “Friends” and “High and Low.” The latter begins with a chord progression, sounding similar to the duo’s claim to fame, “Walking on a Dream.” The two songs mimic each other through basic chord patterns and powerful, catchy choruses. Lyrically, “High and Low” gives listeners a dance track for those car rides through paradise, touching on real issues; throughout these pulsing beats, Steele says, “I feel most times we’re high and low.” The song also encourages listeners to take it easy with lyrics such as, “Let’s get together and forget all the troubles and just float.”
All in all, “Two Vines” is truly an experience. As the colder months rapidly approach, Empire of the Sun invites listeners to remember the warmth of the sun and to look through the colorful lenses of the world. In an interview with Billboard, Steele comments on the importance of the band, saying, “[Empire of the Sun is] about fulfilling the will of God within yourself.” And whatever “the will of God” may be, one can surely find it scattered throughout this record.
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