This is the time of year when most music blogs receive a bunch of Valentine’s Day-themed submissions, many of which are hastily thrown together. I’m not one to hate on Valentine’s, but I’m not a fan of most Valentines Day songs I’ve heard over the years either, as they either seem to be complaining about something or overly saccharine. So props to Portland, Maine-based electro-pop duo Pop Of Est for making a song involving Valentine’s Day that’s quite good, injecting the theme into something not too sweet or overly contrived.
Beginning rather minimally with a gargling synth-bass and halted percussion, Hannah Tarkinson’s melodically precise vocals float in ethereal form over Todd Kitchens’ darkly infectious synth-pop movements, which expand significantly around 01:20 as Tarkinson’s vocals relay a more solemn Valentine’s Day with one’s headphones obscuring the catcalls or other distractions. Yet the feeling is more embracing than anything, as Kitchens’ hypnotic synth arpeggios dance around Tarkinson melodically repeating the track title. “Valentine in My Headphones” is a consuming dark electro-pop track with hints of The Knife and Massive Attack, with just enough of a Valentine’s Day relevance to remind of the day.
Check out the track’s music video below:
