Written By: Chaz McKinney
There’s a certain amount of hesitation that comes with seeing a website for an artist that only features one song and is completely black, save for a very Art Deco-inspired logo. On the one hand, it’s very aesthetically pleasing and inviting whilst on the other it screams “we have no material”.
Whatever the case may be, my own hesitation upon seeing Los Angeles-based electronic duo Satchmode’s website were quelled immediately when I pressed the play button of a very unassuming song called ‘Old Fears’.
The track revolves around a sonically pleasing four-on-the-floor gently bobbling along for the duration, accentuated here and there by warm finger snaps, but generally carried by a pulsating bass recalling latter-day Daft Punk. There’s an undertone of a much more energetic 90′s house beat below the surface, but it never takes center stage, instead allowing the sweepy synth flourishes and analog blips to revel in the spotlight.
Satchmode on Soundcloud
That being said, the sheer brilliance of the song is in its chordal movement. Whether they know it or not, Satchmode has written a song that could blend in seamlessly with much of the Great American Songbook as far as its musicality.
It’s a bit hard to explain really, but while the song itself is in a major key, there are subtle minor chords that seem to fade in and out of existence as if to suggest the presence of a darker motivation to the song’s admittedly light lyrical fare of entering into a new relationship carrying the weight of previous heartbreak.
About Satchmode
- Band/Artist name: Satchmode
- Members: Gabe Donnay, Adam Boukis
- From/Base City: Los Angeles, California, USA (formerly Philadelphia)
- Genre/Sounds like: Ambient Electronic
- Label: Independent
- Website: satchmode.com
Were there nothing else redeeming about ‘Old Fears’ but its instrumental, it may be easy to overlook, but what really sells the song is the gorgeous, ethereal vocal that it emotes through – and I say that quite intentionally.
The song often feels as if it simply exists as a permanent entity that is communicating through the band. It’s almost spine-chilling at points; it’s simultaneously beautiful and haunting and progressive and nostalgic without becoming cluttered at any given moment.
While it never reaches any real definite climax, Satchmode’s introductory track is one that deserves your attention almost certainly more than any other electronic act of the year. The color palette of the music is wonderful to listen to, and the track presents us, the musical public, with a very big question: “How long until Satchmode blows up?”
This group has all the necessary ingenuity and skill level to drill out a cozy niche in the pop market, without a doubt; it’s now simply a matter of when their moment to shine will come. True, they may never play arenas if the remainder of their catalog is in the same vein of ‘Old Fears’, but Satchmode could easily become the indie-pop Gods of Tomorrow with little to no effort.
