As music continues to embrace interesting fusions of different genres, Polyenso merge together the acoustic with the electronic in an interesting way that doesn’t quite fit the dance floor nor quite sit in the indie pop or rock scene either. Their new EP ‘Year of the Dog’, which came out Friday, showcases their talents and in the process shows that genres are always sliding scales rather than buckets.
Opener ‘Neon Mirror’ is a perfect example of what I mean. It plays out really chilled bluesy guitars that you’d find in a luscious ethereal folk track and ladles lots of spacey synths and a gentle kick drum thump under it. It has a two-minute outro that focuses entirely on the acoustic guitar aspect of the track but hidden throughout is clever electronics and messages of survival in an ever-connected world that feels increasing bleak. Messages of positivity and perseverance are a Polyenso trademark throughout the EP as ‘Bastard’, a track aimed squarely at Trump, see’s the lyrics attempt to rally togetherness. The track itself nearly verges of cheesy disco, whereas ‘Happy’ reminds me of Frou Frou and Fenech Soler with its quirky drums and thick synths. It’s my favourite track on the EP and also the most straightforward. The closing track ‘I Go You Go’ is a stop/start swaying ballad that flits between two chords as the back and forth of the song’s title plays out. It’s one of those songs that gets stuck in your head after just a few listens and has an electronic-gospel quality to it that I really like.
As a newcomer to Polyenso, I can’t vouch for any change of direction that may have come before but I really like the merging of different styles across the EP. Some naturally click better than others but there’s always an interesting through line that kept me entertained and invested. A talented bunch!
Recommended track: Happy
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Polyenso - Year of the Dog
