As this next post is coming to you live from the thick of dry July, I thought it fitting to have it be about a drink-based band. Not to discredit the act in mention, they earned their spot on the rag – I just love coffee, and this Brooklyn based “chill-wave” suite named Small Black tick all the boxes right now. With their latest track, Real People, released in line with the aptly named Real People EP, they’re just the kind of relaxing, melodic ambience I’m looking for on this alcohol-free Monday night. I don’t usually get rowdy on Monday’s anyway, but in dry July every day seems a challenge.
Small Black came to my attention a while ago through my favorite playlist, the BIRP.fm monthly download, and are back in action courtesy of the same channel. It’s said they personally shy away from the chill-wave genre patch that’s obviously stitched into their musical sweater. But whether it’s indie-RnB, dream-pop or rick-moranis-inspired-contemporary-volcano-metal, there’s no denying that they’re pretty fucking good.
Apparently Real People is the story of Colton Harris-Moore, a guy in American that was nicknamed the “Barefoot Bandit” and is currently serving a six-and-a-half year federal sentence for breaking into hundreds of houses and stealing several planes. What a bloody man. It’s got a huge capacity for being great at a lot of points. That said, overall Real People can come across as a hollow procession of predictable electronic melodies, geared towards listeners that are winding down rather than, as the lady in the hi-vis vest at the pub in Wyong would say, “pumping it up” – but it’s likely being sober has made me cynical.
It’s definitely enjoyable enough for a cheeky listen late at night, I’ll give it that.
